


I Won't Say I'm In Love

by scriba_vindex



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Disney World, Friends to Lovers, Fun, Getting Together, Hot Tub, Low Degree Angst, M/M, Nylander's Hair, Pining, Polynesian Bungalows, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-05 03:43:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13379415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scriba_vindex/pseuds/scriba_vindex
Summary: An indulgent get-together tale against the backdrop of a team trip to Disney World.Or, the team’s escapades around the resort cause Auston Matthews to come to terms with his rather mystifying feelings about Mitch.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story jumps off from Chapter 6 of The Maple Leaf Chronicles.
> 
> Title from the classic Disney song "I Won't Say I'm In Love" in Hercules.
> 
> Yes, this is probably the single most self-indulgent concept I’ve ever hatched. But come on- hockey boys running around Disney World! And a smattering of angst!
> 
> Long story short; the Leafs are slated to make appearances at a 3-day NHL showcase at Disney World’s sports complex, but the true main event is Auston Matthews unraveling his feelings about Mitch. 
> 
> In this universe Auston is a lifelong Disney World aficionado (thanks to his family) and Mitch has never been before. 
> 
> And just for fun, they’re staying in the uber-awesome Bora Bora Bungalows (which 100% exist) at the Polynesian Resort, because why not. ;)

Auston Matthews was the first to admit he had a borderline ridiculous attachment to Mitch Marner. They were each others’ Timon and Pumbaa, Woody and Buzz, Mike and Sully, Bambi and Thumper (insert Disney pairing of choice here).

The surprising thing about it was that Auston Matthews was not known to get attached. His childhood had been peppered with lightweight friendships that had all but evaporated as he’d gotten serious with hockey in his mid-teens. The various girlfriends he’d squeezed into his overcrowded life thus far had never lasted longer than a single hockey season. 

He supposed his only irrevocable attachment was to his family, because _blood is thicker than water_ , or some shit. 

But now there was Mitch, and things were complex. Confusing.

* * *

Auston was nested comfortably in the plush seat of a Disney Coach bus. Mitch was draped across his lap like some kind of needy fuckin’ cat. So, yeah, nothing out of the ordinary. 

Matts watched the interstate roll by nonchalantly, ignoring the subtle excitement blooming in his chest at the prospect of imminent arrival at Disney World. Some things never changed. 

He recalled that the last time he had passed under the iconic (if also unabashedly cheesy) Walt Disney World archway that marked the beginning of the resort, he and his younger sister had been trying (and failing) to take a fire selfie with the stupid thing. 

As he spotted the archway approaching, Auston uttered “Mitchy, selfie.” Before he could stop himself, and Mitch obliged unquestioningly, flashing a dazzling smile that could have knocked out a trio of puck bunnies. 

Such was their relationship; _ask and you shall receive._

Auston glanced at the selfie with a minute smile. It was blurry, but nice. 

“Dude, lemme see.” Mitch mused muffledly, his face half-buried in Auston’s hoodie as he snatched the phone from Matts’ hands.

“You look like you just snorted pure sugar, as usual,” Auston returned with a tiny laugh. 

“Oh my god, you’re right.” Mitch groaned. “At least _my_ hair doesn’t match that 80s guy from the _I Ran_ song, though…”

Auston raised an eyebrow. “Flock of Seagulls?” he muttered doubtfully, snatching the phone back and casting his image another look. “Shit,” he mused, impressed despite himself at Mitch’s non 21st-century pop culture knowledge.

Mitch laughed and flopped back down on Auston’s lap, prompting Willy to poke his head up from the seat behind them. 

“How come Mitchy is the only one that gets to lie on your lap and make shitty hair jokes with you, Matthews?” he chirped in mock exasperation. 

Still laughing, Mitch replied from within the folds of Auston’s hoodie, “’Cause I’m special, Willy.”

“You’re special alright.” Willy agreed mockingly.

Matts ignored them both and smiled to himself as he set the selfie as his lock screen.

* * *

“Here are your wrist bands. Do _not_ lose them.” Mo instructed slowly, fixing his eyes sharply on Mitch through the latter few words. “They are your room keys, your credit cards, your park tickets, your everything. And if you lose it you’re SOL.”

Auston took his band with a touch of bewilderment. These had _not_ been a thing last time he was here…

“Awesome.” Mitch muttered excitedly as he fixed his to his wrist. It was (appropriately) dark blue, like all the other Leafs’, and had his number 16 inscribed on the back. 

Mo cleared his throat and continued, “Now go dump your stuff in your rooms and meet back in the lobby in 15.”

The players heeded Rielly’s captainly words and dispersed into their assigned six-man groups, heading for the trio of Polynesian Resort Bungalows that had been set aside for them by their gracious Disney hosts. 

In all seriousness though, the Bungalows were _fuckin’ cool._ They were literally twenty mini houses that sat on stilts above the lagoon, accessible by private boardwalk. 

Auston didn’t even want to know what four nights in one was worth…

He, Mitch, Willy, Zach, Brownie and Freddy walked up to Bungalow 7 in palpable awe. Mitch couldn’t seem to shut his mouth and Connor looked as though he had just spotted Wayne Gretzky. 

As they headed inside, Hyman immediately assumed his role as stand-in dad (in the absence of Martin or Patty) and instructed them all to scope out the bed situation before mindlessly claiming shit. 

Marns promptly ignored him, took a left at the first bedroom and flopped down on the bed. 

Habitually, Auston followed him and tossed his bag into the room, pausing only when he realized there was only one bed. A sharp contrast from their usual road game standard of two queens. 

“Only one bed?” Auston heard Willy call out from another room, his friend’s voice as caught-off-guard as Matts felt, “shit…Hymie, we’re sharing.”

“Why me?!” Zach exclaimed exasperatedly from another part of the bungalow.

“’Cause you’re the only one that doesn’t kick, snore, or show me shit memes at ass o’clock in the morning.” Willy responded immediately, as though the explanation was the most obvious thing in the world.

Auston observed Mitch snort with laughter from his flopped-out position on the bed, leaving little doubt who Willy had been referring to with that last part. 

As it turned out, though it was a six-man bungalow there were not six beds. There were two bedrooms (with one huge-ass bed each), a pull-out and a weird pull-down wall bed. 

So Zach and Willy would share, Freddy would snag the pull-out, and Connor would be banished to the wall bed. 

And Auston would share with Mitch. One bed for two people. No biggie.

Right?

He wondered why the concept was hitting him so profoundly. It wasn’t like he hadn’t slept in the same room as Mitch before…they shared a hotel room on most of their road trips. 

But they always slept in separate beds. Like bros.

_Like two bros chillin in a hot tub, 5 feet apart because…_

Anyways, Mitch didn’t seem to mind. He was already making himself at home by digging through his suitcase _“looking for the sunglasses- not the shitty ones but the baller ones”_ without a care in the world.

So Auston decided he wouldn’t care either. He’d be chill. 

He’d ignore the weird feeling that had appeared in his chest, pulsing profoundly whenever he thought about the upcoming night. 

He’d keep things cool, because if there was one thing Auston knew he was good at (aside from not forming meaningful interpersonal attachments) it was being chill. Usually, at least.

* * *

Once Auston had put the bed-sharing thing to the back of his mind, he was finally able to appreciate what it felt like to be back at Disney World. It felt strangely like a homecoming. And it was nice. 

Despite Mitch’s nonchalant, _“Isn’t Disney just princess castles and shit?”_ attitude before they’d left Toronto, he seemed to be coming around to the place after a mere hour spent in the resort. He hadn’t even been on a ride yet. 

The Leafs ensemble gathered as instructed in the lobby, where a friendly cast member led them to a private room in one of the resort’s restaurants. As soon as the group was seated at the long table, a trio of women in Polynesian dress made their way inside with an armful of flower leis, and proceeded to drape one around each player’s neck (Willy, Auston noticed with great amusement, turned up his usual impish smile and hair-flicking to an 11 and received most of their attention).

The group feasted like kings; a welcome reward after a morning spent travelling. 

Soon enough, Babs was excusing himself for an afternoon of solitary relaxation, and the veterans were giving them free run of the resort. 

“Just three rules, boys-“ Patty called out firmly, backed by Leo, Mo and Hainsey. 

“Sounds like he’s talking to his sons.” Mitch whispered to Auston with a snigger. 

“We _are_ his sons.” Matts countered quietly, causing Mitch to snort. 

“First,” Marleau continued, “no leaving the resort for any reason,” he decreed, causing a few raised eyebrows among the group. “Second, no injuries,” he added sagely, “and finally, keep PR happy; no doing anything you wouldn’t do in front of Lamoriello, Shanahan, and Babs. You’re in the public eye here, gentleman.”

“And no losing Mitch!” Martin added, sending ripples of laughter through the room. At Auston’s side, Mitch threw Martin a punch in the shoulder.

The room stirred with a buzz. “Remember- back here at 5 to get ready for the first showcase event!” Mo called at the exiting players’ backs. 

Auston and Mitch barely heard him as they excitedly followed Willy and Zach out the door.

* * *

“Monorails are sick.” Mitch decided as he pressed his forehead into the glass to watch the lagoon zoom by below. 

“Told you so.” Auston murmured evenly, not looking up from where he was making Fastpass selections on his phone. 

“We’re going to Epcot, right? The one with the golf ball?” Brownie asked, thrusting a colourful map under Matts’ nose. 

Auston nodded and let the corner of his mouth curve into a smile. “Not a golf ball, but good try.”

“What is it then?”

Auston shrugged, “You’ll find out when we ride it.”

“That sounded dirty.” Willy observed cheerfully, materializing at Auston’s other side. 

Matts rolled his eyes and Connor laughed. “Leave it to William Nylander to find a way to make _Disney World_ dirty.”

Willy's eyes lit up in a way that was mildly terrifying to Auston. 

“Challenge accepted,” he whispered, causing Auston to groan. 

“Hey- no spoiling this for Matty; it’s like his homecoming.” Mitch interjected, joining the conversation. 

Auston blinked at him, his pulse skipping a beat at Mitch’s use of the exact word he’d come up with internally not an hour past to describe his situation. 

He was jerked back to the present by the sensation of the monorail slowing. 

“We’re here!” Mitch called with a whoop, wandering toward the exit doors. The others followed suit, except for Willy, who lingered behind at Auston’s side.

Nylander was shooting him an examining look, his eyes thoughtful. 

“What was that look?” Willy prodded, uncharacteristically serious. 

“What look?” Matts feigned innocently, not meeting his friend’s gaze. 

“Just now. You looked at Mitchy the same way you looked at him when he assisted your goal in Montreal.”

Auston gave him a quizzical look. “Meaning?”

“I dunno. You tell me. You just don’t usually look at things like that.”

Auston almost laughed. “What the heck does that mean? You’re a professional at interpreting how I look at things now?” he teased, slightly defensive. 

“Just saying.” Willy replied with a shrug, his tone light once more. “Don’t deny that it was _a look_.”

Auston glanced back at him curiously but said nothing as they departed the monorail.

* * *

“Looks like Naz, Gards and Mo are in Disney Springs.” Hyman observed as the five Leafs wandered down the main promenade at Epcot. He passed around a picture of their teammates sipping Guinness in an Irish pub. “And look at Freddy and Riems!” he added joyfully, flashing his screen at his companions once more. The picture showed Andersen and JVR screaming their asses off on the Rock n’ Rollercoaster.

“Where’s that?!” Mitch exclaimed eagerly as he caught a glimpse of the rollercoaster image. (it was the cheesy on-ride kind that you buy in the gift shop, but Mitch kind of loved it)

“Hollywood Studios.” Auston offered helpfully. “We can go there tomorrow.”

Mitch looked dazzled at the prospect. It made Auston unexpectedly happy once more. 

The visiting Leafs soon began to make their way around Epcot, which more than lived up to Auston’s jaded childhood memories. 

Mitch’s first Disney ride turned out to be the _Frozen_ ride, since as soon as Willy found out about the “World Showcase” concept he insisted on dragging them across the park to the Norway pavilion claiming, _“It’s as close as I’m gonna fuckin’ get to Sweden so humour me please.”_

It was basically a boat ride with stuff from a movie none of them had actually seen, so Mitch obligatorily chirped the ride the entire time. He also took some ridiculous on-ride selfies. However, Matts could see through all Mitch’s shit and tell he’d enjoyed himself. 

Auston’s idea to counter Willy’s princess detour was to steer them towards _Test Track_ , a legit thrill ride. Sure enough, Mitch had many good things to say as soon as they departed that one. 

“Dammit, Aus. I wanna ride it again.” He exclaimed to Auston as they exited the ride, sounding slightly flustered and thoroughly invigorated.

 _“Dirty.”_ Willy had chimed unhelpfully, earning him a shove from Matts.

Willy’s pathological need to make everything sexual aside, they rode _Test Track_ again. And again. Until Hyman insisted they try something else. 

So next they indulged Brownie’s curiosity about the “enormous golf ball”, (AKA the classic attraction Spaceship Earth) which resulted in Auston being wedged into a tiny blue car with Mitch for several minutes. 

Behind them, Nylander had an entire car to himself and couldn’t stop laughing for the entire ride at the way Matts’ knees barely fit inside.

Mitch snickered a little as Willy’s laughter reached a new high at around the 4-minute mark. “Shut up, Willy. It’s not Auston’s fault he’s huge.” Mitch quipped teasingly. 

_“Dirty.”_ Willy added with a sharp whisper, ushering himself into another fit of laughter that Mitch then mirrored.

“Thanks, Mitch.” Auston deadpanned. He was hopelessly attached to an idiot. 

But his idiot was having the time of his life, it appeared. So that was something. 

For what it was worth, Auston thought he might be having the time of his life too. They rode all the rides, indulged in snacks that were definitely not endorsed by the team diet, and laughed like ten year olds at absolutely everything.

Remarkably, they were only recognized as professional hockey players twice, and in no context that a quick picture couldn’t solve. Their “vacation”, Auston soon realized, might wind up actually feeling like a vacation. Or maybe they’d just gotten lucky today and hit Epcot while it was devoid of Leafs fans. 

At one point, Mitch decided to purchase the archetypical Mickey Mouse ears, mostly as a joke, and start aggressively hunting for characters to take pictures with. It may have aged him down about 10 years, but it was very endearing. And would provide excellent chirp material down the road, Auston and the other guys agreed. 

By 4:30 Mitch had managed to snag selfies with Goofy, Donald Duck, the princesses from _Frozen_ , and the old guy from _UP_. Unfortunately, they had to stop him from chasing after Remy from _Ratatouille_ at 4:40 because their curfew was a dangerous twenty minutes from arriving. 

“We need to get our asses on the next monorail or we’re dead.” Zach declared solemnly in response to Mitch’s protests. “We’re here for a hockey showcase, remember? Babs will skin all of us alive – well, except you, Mitch- if we miss said showcase.” He reeled slowly, as if recounting a story to kindergarteners. 

Mitch seemed to remember his age and occupation at the mention of hockey, and conceded professionally, even removing his Mickey Mouse ears. 

Soon the quintet of Leafs had boarded a standing-room-only monorail back to the Polynesian, and Auston found himself pressed against Mitch. Close. Like, two inches of clearance, max, at any given point. He could feel Mitch’s breaths hitting his neck. 

His heartbeat was doing that weird thing again where it appeared in the back of his skull and the tips of his fingertips. 

Auston tried to imagine standing this close to Willy, or Brownie, or anyone, really. He found it hard to do, since he would probably never let anyone else this far into his highly valued personal space. 

But here was Mitch. And Auston didn’t feel a paralyzing need for more space. He was okay.  
Confusing, for sure. What made Mitch Marner, of all people, exempt from Auston’s usual feelings?

As he stared unavoidably into Mitch’s icy blue eyes, (a mere two inches from his own as they were…) Matts realized once again that he had absolutely zero idea.

Auston was slow to realize that Mitch was speaking to him, despite their proximity. 

“Dude, I had an awesome time today.” He sputtered swiftly. “You were right about this place.”

Slow to respond, Auston eventually muttered an obligatory, “am I ever wrong?” though the retort lacked its usual cool depth. 

Mitch didn’t seem to notice and immediately spurred into a teasing, long-winded account of everything Matts had ever done wrong, (from footwear choice to egg-frying technique) though Auston was hardly listening. 

His eyes were back on Mitch’s pale blue irises, and his mind was far away. Deep in the enigma that was his feelings toward Mitch.

* * *

The first event of the showcase was nice. It wasn’t taxing, and Auston and his fellow Leafs weren’t mobbed as much as was the norm at these events owing to their distance from Toronto and the high quality of Disney’s security measures. 

They signed some autographs, took some pictures, and ran some flashy drills on the unornamented rink in the ESPN sports complex. 

It was kind of boring, really. Auston overheard Babcock complaining with someone from the Panthers’ management about the training time that would be lost to the event; he also seemed convinced that someone’s arm had been twisted in Leafs management to have the entire team sent here in the first place. 

Matts wasn’t worried about the lost time, as there was a solid week until their next game at home at the ACC. As for their presence at Disney World, it was 100% not a bad thing. 

The only hitch in the evening, (for Auston, at least) appeared during the meet-and greet session.

A few dozen lucky fans had won a chance to stand around and awkwardly ask them all for autographs, apparently. 

Auston did his duty and smiled in all the requisite pictures; a standard, closed-lipped one for the adults and a toothier one for the kids. The usual.

Sometimes Matts could enjoy the spotlight that came with being a franchise centre for one of the most storied franchises in the NHL, but after a blissful day of anonymity he was finding the constant attention difficult to swallow. 

Through the crowd he spotted Mitch, buoyant as usual despite their day of gallivanting around Epcot beneath the torrid sun. 

He also spotted a pair of puck bunnies – easily observable even from great distance- gazing at Mitch from their position at the forefront of his admirers. They were blond. Thin. Faceless. 

They wore the distinctive hungry stare and giggled overzealously at whatever Mitch was saying.

Puck bunnies (or, avid female fans with more interest in the players than the sport itself) were nothing new. They flocked to every fan encounter like vultures to a kill. And they honed in on the youngest guys (namely he, Mitch and Willy) like fresh blood.

Auston knew from experience that girls such as these would follow Mitch anywhere at the drop of a hat. The thought, though disturbingly familiar, made him faintly sick.

Thus, his blood boiled as he watched the girls inch themselves tightly into Mitch’s side for a picture. 

It shouldn’t have bothered Auston. He and Mitch were professionals at deflecting advances like this one. They’d both agreed ages ago, after enough embarrassing first-hand experiences, that the whole pick-up thing wasn’t where they wanted to be. Sleeping with girls who were solely hoping to feed on their hard-earned star power was kind of a dick move, they’d decided during one (slightly drunk) heart-to-heart. 

So it shouldn’t have bothered Auston. But it did. 

He probably looked miserable, bordering on malicious, in several of the pictures from those few moments, but he was too focused on Mitch to care. 

When the girls finally left Mitch alone, Auston felt unjustly relieved. 

He was just concerned for his friend, he told himself. Those girls had no right to…look so hungry around Mitch. 

But then, Auston figured, why should he care who looks at Marns like that?

He realized that he didn’t know. He had no answer. But he found that, against his better judgement, he did care. A lot. 

It was a weird fucking realization; one that eclipsed most of whatever else happened at the showcase that night. 

And so, things continued to be complicated for Auston Matthews.

* * *

Auston was grateful to return to the relative privacy of the six-man bungalow.

It was only ten o’clock; not even late enough to necessitate foregoing caffeine, but he was exhausted after the highs and (and occasional lows) of the day. A trying flight in. A fantastic afternoon with his friends at a Disney park. A confusing night of hockey talk in fucking _Florida._

Willy immediately sensed Auston’s exasperation and flopped down beside him on the bungalow couch. 

“Someone needs a _pick-me-up_.” Willy chimed, singsong, as he prodded Auston’s back. 

“I hope you don’t mean alcohol.” Zach piped up from the kitchen, where he was chopping a grapefruit, because apparently, Zachary fucking Hyman can find a grapefruit _anywhere._

“Of course not, Hymie,” Willy replied, scrunching his face, “even if I wanted to Babs has made acquiring alcohol here virtually impossible.” He muttered, sounding thoroughly disappointed. 

“Matts and Marns aren’t even legal here anyways. Underage consumption strictly violates Patty’s third rule.” Zach added unhelpfully.

 _“So,”_ Brownie interjected loudly from the dining table, where he was doing something on a tablet with Freddy, “if it isn’t booze then what are you thinking, Willy?”

Nylander looked thoughtful, mostly for his teammates’ benefit, “There’s a hot tub on the deck.”

“No there isn’t, Willy. Stop making shit up.” Auston grumbled, his face pressed into a pile of pillows. 

“No, Matty, there’s actually a hot tub. Or at least, a really tiny pool.” Willy insisted.

“You’re shitting me.”

“I swear on Babsy’s mother’s grave I am not.”

“Did I hear _hot tub_?” Mitch exclaimed joyously, poking his head out from he and Auston’s bedroom. “This place just gets better and better…”

He proceeded to saunter across the living room and throw open the sliding door to the deck overlooking the lagoon. 

He marched outside, emitted an audible “Huh,” then re-entered the living room with a shrug. “It’s not huge but Willy isn’t lying. There is indeed a _fucking hot tub_ on the deck.”

“Get your trunks.” Willy instructed Auston immediately, not leaving room for an objection as he whacked him several times with a turquoise pillow. 

“Okay, okay!” Auston conceded, “shit, Willy-“ he added after one particularly heavy _thwack_ , throwing his hands up in submission and laughing a little despite himself.

* * *

Perhaps Willy had a point. Hot tubs were nice. Even weird little deck ones. 

This one had a nice view out over the lagoon, shrouded in nighttime darkness though things currently were. 

The Cinderella Castle gleamed lavishly across the water. The lights of the other resorts on the lagoon twinkled in the darkness.

Auston, Willy, Connor and Mitch were crammed into a tiny watering hole the size of a glorified bathtub, but it was nice. The water was warm and the conversation was good. 

Connor and Mitch endeavoured to figure out how to turn on the jets. They sort of succeeded. (Water was moving, at least)

Zach and Freddy were observing the proceedings offhandedly from a pair of lounge chairs at the other side of the deck. 

Meanwhile, Auston was finding Mitch weirdly distracting. Marns’ pale shoulders shone glaringly in the rays of moonlight, and he insisted on splashing himself with the steaming hot tub water every couple of minutes, such that he remained constantly cloaked in shimmering beads of water. 

Several times Auston caught himself counting the water droplets on Mitch’s collarbone. Each time it took much too long for his good sense to kick in and for him to recognize that it was a weird thing to do. 

The third time, he thought Willy might have noticed, but for once his friend’s mouth stayed shut. After that Auston stared stubbornly out over the water, pretending to be transfixed by something in the distance.

“Introspection is kind of a weird look on you, Aus.” Nylander chirped eventually, after his conversation with Mitch about Lululemon as acceptable under-equipment hockey attire ran dry. 

Auston straightened and regarded them with what he hoped was a chill look. Not an _I’m having weird feelings about my friend_ kind of look. 

“Let me think in peace.” He muttered eventually, sinking lower into the water. 

“About what?” Mitch prodded, glancing expectantly up at Auston from where he was stirring circles in the water with his hands. 

Mercifully, Hyman threw Matts a line to save him from having to formulate an answer. 

“Hopefully about how to attack our schedule tomorrow. It’s very ambitious.” Zach noted from his reclined position across the deck. 

“Something like that.” Auston mused gratefully, happy to soak in silence a while longer. 

Mitch, ever vociferous, hardly let the silence that followed hang around for more than a minute. 

“Truth or dare.” He interjected suddenly, turning his attention to Connor. “Brownie, you first.” He added, leaving no room for evasion. 

To his credit, Connor was a good sport (as usual) and indulged Mitch with an unquestioning mutter of “Dare.”

“This is very elementary.” Freddy chimed from his chair. 

“Shut, up Freddy.” Mitch replied theatrically. “It’s a classic hot tub game.”

He returned his gaze to Connor. “Stand up right now and moon Matt, Bozie and Riemsy’s bungalow.”

Brownie laughed a little, scrunching up his face, “They’re not even outside. That’s a weak-ass dare that I will accept gladly.”

Mitch slow-clapped him, a wide grin on his face, and he and the others (Auston included) burst into laughter as Connor did, indeed, stand up and moon the neighbouring bungalow. 

“Smooth, Brownie.” Willy observed with a laugh as Connor splashed back into the tub. 

The redhead immediately turned the tables on Mitch and shot _“Truth or dare”_ right back at him, to which Mitch coolly replied “Dare.”

“Go inside to the kitchen do that thing with the ice and the salt in your mouth.”

Mitch obeyed without objection, (not even requiring clarification, as he was well-versed in the internet) and returned to the deck a moment later, scrunching up his face in a way that made Auston smile instinctively. 

As soon as he had settled back into the tub and the others had stopped applauding him, Mitch’s face grew less juvenile, almost serious. 

“Willy, truth or dare.”

“Truth.” Nylander responded with a simple grin. 

“Actually- this one’s kind of for all of you.” Mitch countered, casting his eyes around to his companions. 

“You can’t do that!” Connor objected immediately. 

Mitch ignored him and blurted out, “Have you ever kissed a guy?”

The players fell silent for a heartbeat, until Mitch stared insistently at Brownie. “Well?”

“Nope.” Connor responded eventually. 

Mitch turned to face Auston. “Aus?” he probed, his voice difficult to read. 

“Nah,” Auston muttered in reply. It was the truth, though it felt oddly flat. 

Across the tub Willy regarded Mitch with a raised eyebrow. “Where’s this coming from, Mitchy? Have you?”

“What?”

“Kissed a guy.”

Mitch shrugged. “No.” He answered candidly, though his face then split into a grin. “Unless you count Stromer one time on New Year’s eve as a joke. What about you, Willy?”

Nylander shrugged. “Yeah.” He replied nonchalantly.

Mitch appeared somewhat surprised at Willy’s offhandedness. “More than once?” he countered after a time.

“Yep.”

Auston somehow sensed Zach and Freddy’s attention return to the hot tub. 

“Huh,” Mitch exhaled, his eyes fixed curiously on Willy. 

Auston tried very hard not to do the same. 

Mitch seemed very uncertain as he proceeded, “so you like girls _and_ guys, then?”

Willy still appeared chill as he laughed pleasantly, exactly the same as he’d laughed at Mitch’s salt dare a couple minutes ago.

“It’s called bisexual, Mitchy.” He mused teasingly. 

Mitch responded with tentative laughter, but seemed to return almost to his usual exuberance as he added an easy “right…cool.”

Connor looked cautious as he chimed in, “How come you don’t…you know…tell the league?” he questioned simply. “You could be the first out player in NHL history. It might be kind of cool.”

Willy’s easy smile lessened slightly. “Because the league’s not ready.”

“What about all that _You Can Play_ stuff?” Mitch mused hopefully. 

“It’s kind of bullshit.” Willy declared with a shrug. “The guys at the top say the league’s ready, but they don’t hear the things that we do- the crap that gets said on the ice...and in the dressing rooms.” He reminded them all frankly. 

His words were greeted with silence, until Mitch uttered a small, “That blows.” 

And apparently no one else had anything to add, since the group fell quiet once again for several minutes. 

Auston didn’t know what to think. Willy was right, of course. The league kind of wasn’t ready. 

He had never really given the subject much thought. And he wasn’t really given much of a chance to start, as Willy soon lightened the mood with the return of his usual cheery nonchalance. 

“Enough about me,” Nylander insisted swiftly, breaking the stout silence. “I have a dare to dish out.” He mused with a familiar toss of his honeyed hair. “Auston’s been lurking silently in that corner for an unsettlingly long time,”

Auston rolled his eyes at that.

“So, Papi, truth or dare.”

From over on the chairs, Hyman groaned. “Don’t fucking pick truth, Matts. I might need some of that alcohol I said we can’t have if you guys go off on another heavy tangent like that again.”

Auston smirked and sat up, prepared to accept his fate for the good of morale. 

“Dare.” He responded firmly. 

Willy’s eyes lit up and he wasted no time reeling off a challenge. “Go jump in the lagoon.”

“Willy!” Zach cried, interjecting once more, “can’t you see that huge-ass sign,” he continued, gesturing animatedly at the sign tied to the railing, “that says _NO. SWIMMING._ ”

Willy just laughed, and Auston stepped up on to the deck before his conscience could object. He ignored Hymie facepalming in his peripheral vision and cast Willy, Connor and Mitch a devious smile. He found that he wasn’t overly concerned with rules at this precise moment. 

An instant later, Matts scaled the railing as though jumping the boards at the ACC and found himself plunging through a few feet of air and into the darkness of the lagoon. 

It wasn’t as warm as the hot tub, but since this was Florida, it was still comfortable. 

Auston surfaced and tentatively let his feet sink. He was relieved when they hit a sandy bottom, letting him stand comfortably with the water up to his shoulders. 

He glanced up as he heard Mitch call out an inquisitive, _“Aus?”_ and had to scramble out of the way as an instant later Mitch splashed down beside him. 

“What the hell, Mitchy?” Auston chirped with a laugh as Mitch surfaced, smiling to himself and shaking out his hair. 

“Wanted to make sure you’re alive!” Mitch replied brightly. 

“You just wanted to jump, didn’t you?”

Mitch splashed Auston in response, wearing a giddy smile, and Matts countered with a substantially larger slosh that caused them both to laugh like idiots. 

Hymie’s head appeared dangled over the railing overhead, his expression exasperated but amused. “That’s fantastic. Now we have to fucking rescue _both of you._ ”

* * *

Half an hour later, Auston and Mitch were warm, dry, and safely back inside the bungalow. Miraculously, they had waded to the shore and snuck back inside their bungalow’s front door without alerting a response from their teammates in the neighbouring units on either side. 

They’d laughed the whole way in, and Auston’s heart had soared. 

He’d entirely forgotten about his bed-sharing angst from that morning. 

He just sort of stood in the bedroom in his trunks and towel as Mitch disappeared into the ensuite bathroom for a shower.

The bungalow was quiet, now. It was late, so Willy and Zach had retired to their room, Freddy had taken up his spot on the couch and fallen asleep instantly, and Brownie had begrudgingly installed himself on the weird-ass wall bed. 

It was just Auston who was standing around. 

He only shook himself out of it when he heard the water shut off in the bathroom. 

Matts hurriedly stripped out of his damp trunks, slung them half-assedly on the back of a chair, pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of Leafs boxers, and flung himself under the bed’s covers just as Mitch re-emerged from his shower wearing nothing but a towel.

Auston immediately grabbed his phone and started flipping through Instagram, locking his eyes on the screen with abnormal vigor. For some reason, he was oddly aware of Mitch pulling on a similar sleep getup to his own over in the corner of his vision. 

A little later he felt Mitch’s weight flop down on the bed beside him, and heard him yawn sharply. 

“Night, Aus.” Marns grumbled sleepily, his head already buried in the bed’s plush pillows. 

“Night.” Auston responded easily, turning out his light so Mitch would be able to sleep. 

He put his own head down on his pillow a few moments later. 

Auston soon realized (after letting his mind drift for a couple minutes) that whatever angst he’d been holding on to about sleeping with Marns had all but evaporated. 

It was, after all, just Mitch. They were cool with each other, like they had been from day one. Bros. 

The whole sharing thing, it was even kind of nice.

Auston could feel Mitch’s warmth. And if he opened his eyes a little, he could see the outline of his back. 

It was kind of good not to be alone. 

Suddenly, Mitch rolled over drowsily, coming to rest facing Matts.

His face was less than a foot from Auston’s now. His eyes were shut peacefully and the curve of his lips was accentuated by a stray beam of moonlight from the skylight above.

It was nice. 

_Mitch_ was nice, Auston thought.

Suddenly, he realized what this was. 

Suddenly, Auston was a lot less confused. 

Suddenly, he wanted to curse at the top of his lungs.

 _Fuck,_ Auston thought. 

_I’m in love with Mitch._


	2. Chapter 2

Auston didn’t sleep much that night, but what else was new. 

Normally, Matts’ sleepless nights surfaced following tough losses or brutal performances. He would spend the dark hours deep inside his overactive brain, picking apart each pass, play and fumble with religious dedication. 

It was probably why the media loved to berate him for looking _“haggard”, “exhausted”,_ or _“zombie-like”_ all the time. 

Auston normally took it in stride. Regularly lying awake all night (and appearing exhausted the next morning) was familiar territory for Auston Matthews.

But what was keeping his mind alert that night was not. 

Sure, realizing he was in love with his best friend answered a _lot_ of questions about the past few months, but it generated a crap-ton of new ones as well. 

Matts wondered just how long he had been thick-headedly ignoring his feelings about Mitch.

He wondered if anyone else (like Willy) might have clued in even faster than he had.

He wondered if loving Mitch meant he couldn’t call himself straight anymore.

He wondered what his family- his mother, father, sisters and _abuela_ would say if they knew. 

He wondered what the hell he was going to do when the sun rose tomorrow. 

But more than anything, Auston wondered if there was any chance- even the faintest hope- that Mitch might love him back.

* * *

Ignorance was bliss, Auston eventually decided. 

No one else needed to know a thing. It would be Matts’ own fucking problem. 

And it would be easier to ignore if he spent a little less time with Mitch.

So, Auston purposefully joined an already-full table of Freddy, Naz and Leo the next morning at breakfast. No biggie. 

Matts suppressed the hollowness that thrummed in his chest as he watched Marns cast a glance his way before gathering with Bozie, Patty and Martin at a table on the other side of the room. 

Auston stabbed at his eggs silently, half-listening to Naz and Leo’s animated discussion about the awesome showers in the bungalows. 

Freddy, as though sensing that something heavy was on his mind, showed Auston a meme on his phone; it was legitimately a good one, so Auston chuckled, but his laughter felt stale. 

Once the plates had been cleared, Rielly informed the players that they only had a few hours before they needed to make themselves presentable and meet back at the sports complex at 1 for some kind of corporate lunch with important NHL dignitaries, followed by another on-ice demo. 

To Matts, it sounded like hell. Habitually, he made eye contact with Mitch, who mouthed _“Fuck,”_ and made a gagging motion. Auston was unable to contain a small smile. 

Mercifully, they would have the latter part of the afternoon and the evening to themselves. 

So, confusing feelings aside, at least there was still Disney.

* * *

Three hours was, objectively, not enough time to tackle a Disney Park. 

But Auston, Mitch, Willy, Martin, Mo and Gards were intending to do just that with their morning at Hollywood Studios. 

Mitch had been perplexed after the group had agreed to attempt it, protesting “but isn’t that the one with the sick rollercoaster?”

“Yeah,” Auston had replied instantly before he could stop himself. “But there’s not too much else there and we want to leave time for Animal Kingdom this afternoon.”

“Your Disney nerdiness is hot, Aus.” Mitch had countered with a carefree laugh. 

Auston shoved him nearly off the sidewalk they were walking on in response (because that sort of thing was what they usually did) but hoped Mitch couldn’t see how much he was blushing. 

As he passed through the gates into Hollywood Studios, Auston felt his worries lift from his chest, leaving a nostalgic fondness behind in their place. 

Something about Auston’s expression must have been funny to Mitch, because he whipped out his phone and smoothly snapped a photo before Matts could react. 

“You just messing with me again, Marns?” Auston muttered with a smirk. 

Mitch shrugged sincerely and shook his head. “Nah. It’s a legit picture. You look happy.”

He showed the screen to Auston, who, sure enough, agreed that he actually looked not terrible. 

“Huh,” he uttered lightly, discretely watching Marns put a filter on the photo out of the corner of his eye. 

Ahead of them, Mo and Jake had stopped to analyze a map of the park and Martin had Willy in a headlock for some fucking reason. 

Auston shot Matt a quizzical look as he and Mitch approached. 

“He made a dirty joke about the Mickey ball.” Martin exclaimed, gesturing to the large _Crossroads of the world_ statue by the park entrance. 

Rielly rolled his eyes with a snigger. “Let him go, Marty. There are rides that need our attention.”

“But it’s not his first offense…” Matt protested, smirking. 

“Might not even be his tenth.” Auston added, earning him a chuckle from Mitch. 

“Guys…” Gardiner whined, “ _Star Tours_. Let’s go.” 

Mo shot Martin a captainly look that caused him to release Willy, who went right back to giggling quietly at his own joke.

 _“Star Tours?”_ Mitch inquired quickly. 

“An awesome Star Wars ride.” Gards (an avid Star Wars fan) responded immediately, to which Mitch nodded approvingly. 

The small congregation of Leafs set off across the park, stopping only to allow Mitch his requisite selfies with characters they encountered. (he added Phineas and Ferb, Pluto, and Stitch to his growing list) 

Once they arrived at _Star Tours_ , Auston stoically forced himself back into steering clear of Mitch. 

He looked on passively from the third row of the ride as Marns settled in the front row with Mo and Gards. He tried to avoid staring longingly at the back of Mitch’s head as the ride lurched into motion. 

Matts had a harder time detracting himself from Mitch on the Toy Story ride, which was a sick carnival-themed 4D gaming thing. 

The guys seemed subconsciously determined to keep Auston and Mitch side-by-side throughout the queue, which was awesome for entertainment purposes (he and Mitch had a disgracefully good time putting stupid snapchat filters on strangers) but bad for feelings purposes. 

Mercifully, just as he and Marns were about to be ushered together into one of the ride’s two-man vehicles, Martin redirected Mitch into his own car with the promise of _“$100 cash if Mitch could beat him.”_ (which was a terrible bet to make on Marty’s part, as Mitch was insanely fucking video game proficient). 

Equal parts disappointed and relieved, Auston slid into a car with Mo, who wisely made no such bet. 

Predictably, Mitch and Auston left the others in the dust, score-wise. Marns even made the _High Scores_ board for the day, his nickname “ _Spoon_ ” displayed proudly on the final screen. 

As Auston disembarked the ride vehicle he could hear Mitch ahead of him, celebrating extravagantly. As Marns caught sight of him, he chirped a flagrant _“no Juicy to be seen!”_ which caused Willy to slyly mutter “I feel like there’s a dirty way to spin that…”

Auston countered (after making sure there were no kids nearby) by flipping them both off simultaneously with a playful smirk. 

Thus far, Auston’s plan had proceeded smoothly. He hadn’t done anything blatantly weird in front of Mitch (in fact, their dynamic was surprisingly normal) and was somehow still enjoying himself despite his self-imposed game of one-sided cat-and-mouse.

* * *

“Aus, we haven’t fucking sat together all day,” Mitch whined, crossing his arms. “You’re joining me on this-“ he cast a glance skyward at the looming Hollywood Tower Hotel, “ _Tower of Tremors_ , or whatever-“

“It’s _Terror_ , Mitchy. _Tower of Terror_.” Martin chimed unhelpfully. 

“ _Whatever_.” Mitch repeated with even more exasperation. “Matts- you played fuckin’ _Outlast 2_ with me at midnight in that creepy-ass hotel in Boston, but you won’t go on a _Disney_ ride?”

Auston’s heart was noisy in his chest, his throat tight with legitimate fear as he slowly responded, “I don’t want to spoil the ride for you, Mitchy, but this one does shit I’m really…not into.” 

“So it’s a dropping ride.” Mitch replied levelly, demonstrating his above-average knowledge of Auston’s quirks. 

For once, Auston’s fear had nothing to do with his unresolved Mitch feelings. He was genuinely terrified of dropping rides. He’d been known to have regular nightmares about falling for days in their aftermath, so he usually avoided them. 

Matts had kind of forgotten about the _Tower of Terror_ , if he was being honest, until the group had wandered up in front of it and his childhood memories on the damn thing had all come flooding back.

Now Auston stared up at the tower with dread, feeling chilled to the core despite the 85-degree weather. 

Mitch ignored Matts’ mildly panicked expression and grabbed his arm insistently, dragging him towards the entrance. “Come on, Aus. It’ll be fine. The tower can drop our asses together.”

Willy smirked and mouthed “ _Dirty_ ”. Mo gave him a shove. 

Auston felt his feet moving beneath him, but hardly registered the movement as Marns hauled him inside. 

They passed through a decrepit hotel lobby and into a dark room with an old-fashioned monitor. An eerie, mood-setting video played (which Mitch watched, entranced) but Auston didn’t process a word it said. 

As the crowd made to move along into the next room, Auston observed that Mitch’s hands were still around his arm. His dread seemed to be eclipsing whatever sensory reaction Marns’ touch might normally have generated. 

As they settled into the short secondary line- for boarding the actual ride- that wound through the hotel’s “boiler room”, the other guys began to cast Auston concerned glances. 

“Shit,” Mo murmured, observing Matts’ abnormally pale complexion, “If we break Auston Matthews…Babs and the entire city of Toronto will have our heads.”

“You okay, Matts?” Martin quipped, his expression serious. 

Auston gave a small nod.

Mitch was staring at him thoughtfully. After a moment, his lips curved into a timid smile, _“His palms are sweaty…knees weak, arms are heavy, there’s-“_ he chanted, pausing a second to glance at Auston’s chest, “no vomit yet, but…”

On Auston’s other side, Rielly sighed and cast his eyes skyward, but Matts felt a tiny bit better inside. 

However, whatever small comfort Mitch’s Eminem reference had offered soon evaporated as they reached the front of the line. 

Auston’s breaths felt short…and was he imagining the dark spots swirling in the sides of his vision? An endless loop of an elevator car falling, falling, falling, and crashing into the Earth played in his mind. 

Beside him, Mitch could surely feel Matts’ trembling. 

“Damn, Aus.” Marns said quietly, barely audible over the buzz of the boiler room. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

Mitch angled himself so he could look at Auston head-on, his blue eyes piercing. 

“Just think how good it’ll feel when you walk out the other side of this thing.” He muttered sincerely. Then, in a fluid, small motion he took Auston’s hand and pressed his lean frame against Matts’ side. 

Which was, a lot. 

Auston, out of it as he was, was still able to register that much. 

Instead of thinking they were all headed for imminent death as they loaded the elevator car, Auston thought about Mitch’s fingers tangled with his own. 

Instead of passing out as the ride sent them repeatedly hurling toward the Earth, Auston pressed his eyes shut and focused on Mitch’s immoveable presence against the side of his torso. 

Matts didn’t scream, but he felt the vibration of Mitch’s torso as _he_ did so. 

Auston felt immediate alleviation from his panic once he realized the ride had come to an end. 

But it took until their moment of departure from the elevator car for him to let go of Mitch’s hand.

* * *

“You survived, Matts!” Willy exclaimed joyously, clapping Auston on the back. 

He gave Nylander a feeble smile. The sextet of Leafs had made their way back out onto Sunset Boulevard in front of the _Tower of Terror._

Mitch looked celebratory but rueful. “Sorry I put you through that, Aus. It was a shitty best-friend move.”

“Don’t be, it’s character-building.” Auston replied with a shrug. A few minutes off that damn ride had done wonders for his complexion and oxygen levels. At least he wasn’t in danger of passing out anymore. 

Mitch brightened immediately. “Does that mean you’ll ride that rollercoaster next?”

“Give me a few, but yeah.” Auston muttered before he could stop himself, because the hand-holding had shit all over his avoid-Mitch plans. 

Behind them, Martin and Gards looked gleeful. 

“Now that we can definitively say that Auston is not dying, you two can see the chirp photo to end all chirp photos that we just purchased from that gift shop.” Martin proclaimed proudly, holding up a Disney bag. 

Jake reached inside and pulled out a Hollywood Tower Hotel-themed paper sleeve that enclosed their on-ride photo. 

“No wayyyy.” Auston groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation. 

Mitch grabbed the photo intently from Gards’ outstretched hand and scanned it with a smirk. 

“Well, it’s kind of what you would expect…” he muttered with a chuckle. 

Reluctantly, Auston glanced at it from over Mitch’s shoulder and visibly cringed as he spotted himself. 

“Goddammit- can we burn this, please?” he mused, glancing at his hideous eyes-closed expression and the embarrassing degree to which he’d been squished into Mitch’s side. 

“Never,” Gards admonished happily, snatching the photo back, “I paid good money for that.”

* * *

Mitch and Auston did ride the _Rock N’ Rollercoaster_ together. Twice, in fact. 

They would have gone a third time, but the end of their designated three hours in Hollywood Studios was upon them. 

Mitch, in particular, had a lot of things to say about having to leave the park for a _“fucking meeting with the suits”_ , especially after he’d decided (unsurprisingly, since it was a rollercoaster crossed with classic rock) that the _Rock N’ Rollercoaster_ was his _“legit favourite ride of all-freakin’-time”_.

Nevertheless, Mo promptly dragged the group from the park so they would catch a bus back to the Polynesian on time and as planned. 

Auston didn’t think too much about the second-half collapse of his plan to wean himself from Mitch. 

Instead, he couldn’t stop thinking about how thoroughly Marns had supported him through the hellish _Tower of Terror_ experience. (Even though it had been Mitch’s dick move to drag him onto the thing in the first place, but whatever)

Mitch had been genuinely concerned. 

He’d been right there with Auston the whole time, sometimes literally being the only thing keeping him from passing out. 

Matts’ reasonable, factual side insisted that that had just been his best friend doing his duty. As a bro, or whatever. 

But the rest of his brain (perhaps grasping at straws, he admitted) kept imagining the sensation of Mitch’s palm against his own, and kept wondering maybe. 

_Maybe._

* * *

The lunch was, well, a lunch. 

It was hard to enjoy such a thing when dozens of incredible shows, attractions, and more interesting restaurants were just a bus ride away…

The food at the NHL showcase’s second event was superb, (as Auston had come to expect from Disney) but the conversation was dull. As the unwitting face of his franchise, he spent the hour circulating through dry conversations with high-ranking league executives and posh benefactors. 

Matts allowed himself occasional glances across the table at Mitch, who was almost smartly dressed; his ebony suit was sharp, but he’d paired it with a ridiculous Mickey Mouse tie he’d bought at their resort. 

In truth, Auston thought it was kind of fucking adorable. 

He could almost forgive Mitch for showing off the stupid-ass _Tower of Terror_ photo to the entire team. Almost. (Most of the guys had died laughing, and even Babs had chuckled, to Auston’s horror)

The only redeeming factor was that Mitch’s show-and-tell had prompted Leo to reveal a similarly embarrassing photo of Naz from _Space Mountain_ , so there was that. 

Photo-sharing aside, the rest of the event was dull. 

A couple of agonizingly lengthy hours later, Auston, Willy, Zach and Mitch had shed their suits for shorts and tees and were headed for the Disney buses, having successfully endured both the lunch and the hockey demo. 

The mood was jubilant in the face of another light-hearted afternoon spent running around a Disney park. The mid-afternoon sun hung heavily in the sky above, spurring Hyman to spend the entire bus ride applying sunscreen, to his friends’ great amusement. 

Zach laboriously tried to make the others to do the same; Willy laughed at him but obliged, Auston humoured Hymie and put a smidge of the shit on his face (even though he needed it the least of the four), and Mitch- the quickest to burn- refused like a four-year-old but was overruled once Zach placed an enormous dollop on his hands. 

_“A bunch of fucking parents,”_ Mitch grumbled under his breath, trying to figure out what the hell to do with the shitload of sunscreen on his palm. Auston smirked, knowing Marns would be thanking them later when he wasn’t red as a lobster. 

A dozen lengthy, sunscreen-smelling moments on the bus later, the quartet departed and walked through the gates of Animal Kingdom, which Auston quickly assured Mitch was _not_ “just a glorified zoo,” as Marns had wondered earlier. 

The players wandered down the main path towards the “Tree Of Life”, the park’s centerpiece. A colourful stage had been erected overlooking the Tree, on which brightly clothed Disney Cast Members were trying to recruit passing guests for some kind of impromptu show. 

As they passed by the stage, one of the staff began gesturing enthusiastically at Willy.

Hyman raised an eyebrow at Nylander and smirked. “Willy, if you get up on that stage I’ll buy you whatever the hell you want from the gift store over there.”

Willy stared back at Zach, his expression difficult to decipher, as though weighing his options. 

Mitch laughed gleefully. “Aw, just do it Willy. You’re William fucking Nylander. There’s nothing they can make you do that you haven’t already been forced to do at a bar.” He teased. 

“Fair,” Willy admitted with a chuckle, running a hand through his hair as he did so. He glanced back at Zach and smiled. “You’re on.”

Auston and Mitch cheered like idiots as Willy jogged over to the stage, lining up alongside a little girl, a pair of young twin boys, an awkward twenty-something girl who stared at Willy in awe, a dad with a fanny pack, and a kid in a Tigger costume.

At Auston’s side, Zach looked highly satisfied as he pulled out his phone to capture the whole affair. 

Matts soon found his sides splitting with laughter as they made Willy participate in an outrageous ethnic dance (which he put his heart and soul into, since William Nylander never half-assed a thing in his life). 

It was clear that several onlookers recognized him, as there were an abundance of phones fixed exclusively on him throughout the performance. 

“Hopefully this doesn’t violate Patty’s third rule…” Zach muttered, only half-kidding, as the dance concluded to great applause. 

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Mitch assured him immediately. “Willy would have no issues doing shit like this even if Lou himself was in the front row.”

“Agreed,” Auston murmured, still laughing. 

They watched as Willy exited the stage and signed a few autographs for the Leafs fans in the audience (who miraculously hadn’t noticed Auston, Mitch and Zach milling around at the back of the crowd).

As soon as Willy had rejoined them, they ducked into the gift store to stay under the radar. 

“Nice moves, Willy,” Mitch exclaimed through laughter, going in for a high-five. 

Willy returned it with a triumphant smile. “Now I get to break Zachy’s wallet.”

Hyman shrugged with a smirk. “It was worth it.” He declared, holding up his phone. 

Nylander glanced around the gift shop deviously. “Find me the most expensive object in the store.”

Zach groaned, but Auston and Mitch obliged enthusiastically, scanning all the glass cases like kids in a candy store. 

“Here’s some plates with gold Disney shit engraved on them.” Mitch announced proudly, “Four-twenty-nine apiece.”

“That’s nothing,” Auston mused from the other side of the store, “A diamond model of the Tree of Life for five grand.” 

He heard Zach choke on his water somewhere off to the left. 

Willy, apparently ignoring them all, marched up from another corner of the store, holding a stuffed monkey. “Voila,” he proclaimed, smiling in a way that clearly made Zach nervous. 

“Sounds good to me,” Hymie muttered briskly, snatching up the monkey and heading to the cash before Willy could change his mind. As he did so, the toy let out a horrifically annoying screeching monkey sound that made Nylander’s smile even bigger. 

Mitch and Auston covered their ears, laughing. 

Hyman cast the monkey a rueful glance and proceeded to the cash. “If hearing that shit for the next two days saves me five grand then I can deal,” he exclaimed firmly.

At his side, Willy just smiled and crossed his arms in triumph.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the stuffed monkey was making Hyman’s life a living hell, but Auston, Willy and Mitch were having a fantastic time. 

“Tremendous value,” Willy decreed cheerfully as the monkey’s heinous screeching nearly gave Zach a heart attack for the fourth time in a quarter of an hour. He had taken to wearing the thing around his neck and squeezing it whenever Hyman stopped paying attention. 

The players stood in line for _Expedition Everest_ ; it was a huge rollercoaster, so Mitch was practically bouncing with excitement as they made their way through the queue. Between Marns’ incessant chatter and the monkey’s hideous screeching, they surely weren’t the easiest group to stand beside. 

Still, Auston didn’t feel that their behaviour justified the dirty looks the group ahead of them kept shooting back. 

After the monkey’s next outburst, one of the men ahead of them muttered _“Americans.”_ Spitting out each syllable spitefully, his voice thick with a European accent of some kind. 

At that word, Auston saw Mitch’s head whip around, his eyes fixing on the mutterer. 

His voice the calmest it had been since they’d entered the line, Marns declared loudly, “We’re Canadians, actually.” 

“Eh,” Auston added immediately, which caused his teammates to stare at him ridiculously, all stifling laughter. 

Their annoyed neighbour raised an eyebrow and seemed to stare at them as if re-evaluating, but turned back to his own group and said nothing for the rest of the queue. 

Meanwhile, Zach chortled as he regarded Matts. “Leave it to the one fucking _American_ in the group to tag on an Eh.”

Mitch grabbed Auston’s arm defensively, “Matts is an honourary Canadian, he’s allowed to exploit our culture.” He mused matter-of-factly.

Auston smiled, partly at Marns’ words and partly at how his arm tingled beneath the contact with Mitch’s fingers.

* * *

Thankfully, Willy gave the monkey a rest after that, and the band of Leafs made it to the front of the line without trouble to board _Expedition Everest_. 

To Mitch’s infinite delight, he and Auston got the front seat.

As the train ascended, hauled slowly up the steep slope by a chain, Mitch babbled away about how _“fucking amazing this whole place continued to be,”_ and how _“he couldn’t imagine having this much of an awesome-ass time with anyone else,”_ and other shit that made Auston’s heart melt in his chest. 

Matts couldn’t keep his eyes away from Mitch, whose face and cerulean eyes were fucking _glowing_ in the aurous light of the late afternoon sun. He hardly noticed the stunning view that was materializing around them as the car trudged higher.

He found his gaze resting on Mitch’s lips, which was new. 

Auston was suddenly painfully aware how short the distance would be to kiss him. Mitch was right there; a simple twist and shift of his head would put Auston’s lips on his. 

He might have done it, (perhaps reaching a new level of stupid impulsivity) had the car not reached the top of the slope and lurched free of the chain, smoothly banking into a turn. 

For the rest of the ride, Auston felt as though all the air had left his lungs, and it wasn’t because of the rollercoaster.

* * *

The afternoon lurched into evening via a series of fond experiences. 

Auston, Mitch, Zach and Willy blazed through Animal Kingdom with laughter, enthusiasm, and the occasional horrendous monkey screech. 

After _Expedition Everest_ , they made their way to _Kali River Rapids_ , a river rafting ride that always left two of its riders ten times more drenched than the others. 

They rode Kali three times, and three times Mitch was on the side that got soaked. Each time he got hit with the monster wave Mitch found a new artillery of curses to fire off, but Auston could tell he loved it; his smile was bigger than Matts had ever seen it. 

Mitch’s clothes were dripping as their squad moved on towards the _Kilimanjaro Safari_ attraction, and he kept shaking his hair out like some kind of adorable fucking golden retriever after jumping in a lake. Typical Mitchy things.

On the safari ride, they discovered that Zach had a mildly hilarious obsession with giraffes. 

_“Their_ legs _are taller than a fucking human, Mitch. How insane is that?”_ he’d admonished, entirely serious, _“And look at the neck muscle on that one- what a hockey neck.”_ Which had sent Willy into uncontrollable laughter. 

Eventually they tore Hyman from his giraffes and made it to _Dinosaur,_ a dark ride that was one of Auston’s favourites in the entire resort. 

Mitch was awestruck by the full-on dinosaur fossils that decorated the ride’s queue, reading all the plaques and information boards with surprising fascination. 

“So fuckin’ big.” Marns murmured as he stared up at a _Carnotaurus_ skeleton. 

Willy’s eyes lit up and he opened his mouth, but Auston beat him to it, muttering “ _Dirty_. We know.” with a smirk. 

Nylander shot Matts an approving look and winked at him, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean…

He turned away and decided not to dwell on it. Willy somehow seemed in tune with Auston’s problems despite having not been brought into the loop. He wondered if there was any benefit to telling him for real. 

Auston couldn’t come to a proper decision, as he was being ushered on to the ride.

* * *

Just when Matts thought there was nothing Mitch could possibly do to make him more taken, he did a thing. 

They were squished together on _Dinosaur,_ weathering the jostling and bumping of the car as it thundered along in the darkness. 

Mitch, for all his talk about dinosaurs, was apparently a little frightened of them. His hands gripped the bar in front him so tightly they were turning chalk-coloured, and he wasn’t screaming like an idiot as he normally did on any attraction that was remotely a thrill ride. 

Even in the dark, Auston could see that Marns’ eyes were wide. 

As soon as the first dinosaur jumped out at them, Matts felt Mitch recoil into his side, but he immediately uttered an expletive under his breath and corrected himself. 

The next time they got jump-scared, Marns seemed to lose his fortitude and released his grip on the handlebar, burrowing into Auston instead. 

Matts could hear Mitch muttering _“Fuck. Fuck Fuck.”_ into his t-shirt, and wanted to laugh and wrap his arms around Marns’ shaking body, but he figured that wasn’t a very bro-like course of action.

So instead he just sort of enjoyed their reversed fortunes and cast amused glances down at Mitch throughout the rest of the ride. 

As soon as they were on the exit platform and there was light once more, Mitch re-emerged back to an upright position, his hair dishevelled and his expression slightly shell-shocked. 

Auston sort of helped him out of the car, and he was uncharacteristically quiet until they were safely in the gift shop. 

“You good, Mitchy?” He prodded, noticing that Marns had sort of stopped to stare at nothing. 

“Yeah,” he murmured quietly, shaking his head a little as if looking to shake his daze. “That ride was…a lot.”

Auston shrugged and nodded slowly. “I think I had a reaction kinda like that the first time I rode it too.” He admitted in the hopes of being reassuring. 

“Weren’t you like six, though?” Mitch quipped, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well, yeah. But same idea.” Matts replied with a small smirk. 

Mitch smiled a little at the ground. “Sorry I was so...clingy.”

“It’s okay,” Auston assured him quickly, “It was an equalizer for the _Tower of Terror_.”

“Dudes, come see the ride picture!” Willy called from the other side of the gift shop, where he and Zach had their eyes fixed on a wall of screens.

Auston and Mitch wandered over, scanning the wall for their car, Mitch looking apprehensive. 

Zach pointed up at the top left, “There’s me!” he exclaimed brightly, his expression flattening a little as he added more quietly, “Almost hidden by your fucking hair, Willy.” 

Willy whistled approvingly and scanned the car for Auston and Mitch. “There _you_ are, Matts….with the same expression you get when someone tells you you don’t have to do media after a game. Must have been having a good time” He observed thoughtfully. 

“Where’s Mitchy?” Zach interjected, genuinely perplexed. 

“He was tunneling.” Auston answered simply, prompting Mitch to give him a small shove. 

Willy’s expression melted, “Awwww Mitchy! Dinosaurs?”

“Fuck off, Willy.” Mitch grumbled, his lips curved into a reluctant smile.  
“I wasn’t gonna buy it before but now we need evidence that Marns is scared of dinosaurs.” Nylander declared, to Mitch’s great disgust. 

They watched helplessly as Willy purchased the photo. Auston turned to Mitch with a tentative smile, “At least I’m not the only one with an incriminating ride photo today.”

“True that.” Mitch mused, giving Matts a quick fist bump. 

It had been weirdly endearing, experiencing Mitch latch on to him out of fear. Like Auston, Marns hardly ever got scared. They’d watched horror movies and played scary video games together many times, but never had any of that induced behaviour like what he’d just received from Mitch. 

It was nice to be wanted. To be someone’s support. Even if just for a dinosaur ride. 

It made Auston’s heart palpitate tempestuously once more.

* * *

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the small pack of Leafs made their way to the only section of the park they hadn’t tackled yet; the new _Pandora: World of Avatar_ corner. 

They experienced the pair of new rides. The bioluminescence. The weird alien snacks. It was all sensational. 

And soon enough it came to an end, as the park was closing. 

Tired but immensely happy, the quartet boarded a bus bound for their Polynesian Resort. 

No sooner had they unlocked the Bungalow than did Freddy and Connor come walking up behind them in swim trunks. 

“Finally back, eh?” Brownie teased, observing Auston, Mitch, Zach and Willy’s noticeable tans and bags of Animal Kingdom souvenirs. 

“From one of the best fucking afternoons ever, yeah.” Mitch chided happily. 

Connor eyed Willy’s neck monkey questioningly but continued, “the rest of the guys are at the pool. It’s pretty much mandatory team bonding at this point so you should all get your asses over there.”

Zach sighed in disappointment, “I was looking forward to the last grapefruit and a nap.”

Freddy smirked at him, “Just bring your citrus along; it’s a great pool.”

“So why did you two come back?” Willy observed suspiciously. 

“Just grabbing my foam football.” Brownie assured them. “For games.”

Mitch immediately brightened at the mention of pool games. “You heard the man,” he mused, marching inside the bungalow with purpose. “Team bonding it is.”

* * *

It was, to be fair, a very nice pool. There was a volcano, a waterfall and nice nighttime lighting that made it seem like they were swimming in a lagoon in the Bahamas instead of a chlorinated pool. 

Since it was almost 11pm it was also nearly free of kids. Perfect for a giant game of jackpot with a team of fully grown hockey players. 

Most of the guys were piled into the water, their arms outstretched as they tried to snag Mitch’s tosses of the football for points. Auston was wedged between JVR and Naz, trying not to get stepped on. 

Babcock, Hainsey and Polak observed from a distance, reclined on a trio of lounge chairs.

Marns stood authoritatively up on the pool’s edge, abs bared and smile wide as he cheerfully embraced the role of _jackpotter_.

Auston was relieved that Mitch was currently up there, if he was being honest, instead of in the snake pit that was currently the pool. 

Sure, they were teammates, but they were also hyper-competitive males, and it would be all too easy for Mitch to end up accidentally injured in one of the skirmishes that arose whenever the football hit the water. 

Marns may have been 170 pounds of pure muscle and energy, but he was also what the internet would qualify as _smol_ by hockey standards, and Auston felt an acute need to protect him at all costs. It was only made more intense by everything that had gone down in Animal Kingdom that afternoon.

Auston heard Mitch cry “500 catch!”, and felt his teammates tense around him. There was an explosion of limbs and curses as Freddy leapt upwards and snagged the football straight out of the air. Several Leafs hollered excitedly as Freddy tossed it back to Mitch, who was beaming. 

The next throw was a battle that Auston aggressively undertook himself, muscling Riemsy and Gards out of the way to snag the football from the water’s surface. He smiled as he heard Mitch cheering. 

The game went on for a while, Mo eventually assuming Mitchy’s role as _jackpotter._

It was nice, Auston observed, hanging out in a Disney pool with his teammates. Sick, even. 

The game of jackpot eventually dissolved when Willy, after a loud debate with Bozak about degree of the team’s immaturity, randomly hollered _“Marco!”_ just as Mo was about to throw.

The mass of Leafs unanimously replied _“Polo!”_ , (a few of them laughing as they did so) which plunged the pool into silence.

Rielly shrugged and dropped the football, sliding quietly into the water. 

The rest of the players stilled, slowly dispersing across the pool. 

Willy wandered around, eyes closed and arms outstretched. Auston found a quiet corner and just sort of hung out, watching the others inch away from Willy, stifling laughter. 

Auston just chilled, contributing the requisite mutterings of “Polo,” when necessary. 

After a couple minutes, Willy successfully cornered Mitch, whose loud uttering of “Shit,” reverberated across the pool as he was caught. 

Matts smiled, but found his grin wiped from his face as Mitch immediately made a blind beeline for him, as though drawn to him like a magnet. 

He froze as Mitch came closer, hardly daring to breathe. 

Marns paused face-to-face with Auston, his arms dropping to his sides as he came to a halt in the hopes of sensing movement. His face was illuminated ethereally by the turquoise light of the pool, his eyes delicately closed. 

Matts forgot about the game entirely. Marns’ lips were right there again. He could kiss them if he just leaned forward. If he could just breach the foot of air that separated them, he would know what it felt like. He could feel Mitch’s gentle breaths hitting his neck. 

With a jolt, Auston realized that all his teammates’ eyes were fixed on he and Mitch. His stomach sank as he realized that he had been seriously considering kissing Marns in front of every single one of them. 

This was dangerous. This was really fucking dangerous. 

Auston had to get away. He couldn’t take it. 

He stumbled backwards, which caused Mitch’s eyes to fly open. 

“Aus?” Marns said quietly, his expression confused as he watched Auston haul himself hurriedly out of the pool. 

Matts grabbed a towel from the back of a chair and flung an incoherent excuse and apology over his shoulder at the perplexed faces of his teammates. 

Before any of them could run after him he marched briskly down the path back towards the bungalows. 

He was halfway back before he even realized he’d forgotten his shoes.

* * *

Auston’s hands were shaky as he unlocked the bungalow’s door. He flicked on a light and marched into he and Mitch’s bedroom. 

He found he couldn’t even look at Marns’ stuff. 

It was too much. Being in love with your best friend was suffocating. 

He locked himself in the bathroom and let the towel fall to the floor. He stood still for a heartbeat before turning on the shower rather aggressively, stripping out of his trunks, and positioning himself under the water. It was indeed a nice shower; the droplets fell vertically like rain from a big showerhead in the ceiling. 

Auston braced himself against the wall, leaning over and allowing the stream of water to hit his back. 

He stayed that way for a long time. Until there was a knock at the bathroom door. 

“Matts,” a muffled, tentative voice called, “It’s Willy.”

A moment later, Auston switched off the shower. 

He didn’t bother drying his hair, just wrapped a towel around his dripping body and opened the bathroom door. 

It looked like Willy was alone. His face was strikingly gentle, and for once he didn’t speak. He simply regarded Matts with a patient look, passively expectant. 

Auston tried to not allow his expression to mirror how broken he felt. He swallowed and met Willy’s gaze.  
“I love him.” Auston whispered after a time, his voice exceedingly small and fragile. 

Willy didn’t move; in fact, his face hardly shifted.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Auston's experience on the Tower of Terror is actually a mirror of my own (the first time, at least!) and I'm wondering if anyone else felt that way...
> 
> If you have any questions or complaints about the Disney side of the story (like inconsistencies or inaccurate information) please comment as I'd like to keep things as accurate as possible!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick shout-out to echelon_razor for mentioning Willy as a Disney prince- you gave me clear inspiration for an element of this chapter. ;)
> 
> Thanks for sticking with this story to the end! I hope you enjoy this chapter, (and the story as a whole) and please leave a comment if you're feeling generous!

Auston sat on the edge of the deck tub, his feet dangling in the steaming water. 

A few minutes earlier he’d felt broken, stumbling into the shower as though the water might wash away the shards of whatever nearly kissing Mitch had shattered.

Willy had tugged him free and placed the glue that might mend the shards within reach.

And they hadn’t even spoken properly yet. 

Willy had gone inside to make tea, because _“even though it’s like seventy fucking degrees here I am going to need some tea for this talk”._

So Auston chilled alone on the deck. He hadn’t spoken a thing beyond _“I love him.”_

And yet, it felt like someone had lifted something tremendously heavy off his chest. 

Matts had admitted that he was in love with one of his teammates, and Willy hadn’t run away. 

That was something. That was something pretty big.

* * *

Willy handed Auston a mug of tea that smelled like grass. 

Matts took a sip and tried not to make a face as he set it down on the deck. 

Willy stared at him expressionlessly, sipping from his own mug and donning a pair of thick-rimmed black glasses. 

Like the fucking embodiment of the hipster glasses meme. Mitch would have loved it. 

Auston forced himself to refocus, swallowing loudly. 

“So, you already know I love Mitch,” He started uneasily, instinctively avoiding Willy’s gaze. 

Auston paused for several heartbeats, swirling his feet around in the water pensively. 

After a time, he forced himself to look up at Willy. “How?” 

Willy shrugged, his face impartial. “I’m observant.”

“But like, observant of what?”

Willy gave a hint of what might have been a smirk. “What, you want a complete list?”

“Kind of, yeah.” Auston admitted quietly.

Willy appeared thoughtful as he took a long sip of his tea. 

“It’s little things. Like when you let Mitchy lie on your lap.”

“He lies on everyone’s lap.” Auston retorted, raising an eyebrow. 

Willy ignored him. “Or when he’s the first one you tell things.” He mused, quickly adding, “Don’t deny it.“ as Auston started to open his mouth. 

Nylander shifted to sit down directly at Matts’ side. “There’s also the looks; on the ice, in the dressing room…on the _monorail_.” He chided, putting special emphasis on the last point. 

Auston took another sip of the unappealing tea to hide the redness of his cheeks. 

“Point is, for anyone who’s looking it’s obvious.”

Matts felt his heart leap into his throat. His expression must have betrayed his unease, because Willy added a swift, “But don’t worry. They’re _not_ looking, our teammates.”

“How the hell can you be sure of that?” Auston stammered breathlessly.

“Because they’re mostly straight as fuck and wouldn’t connect the dots unless you went on a pride march and waved a rainbow flag in their faces.”

“I’m not…gay, Willy.” Matts replied slowly, which caused Willy to shoot him a salty look. 

“Would it be a problem if you were?” Nylander mused, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. 

Auston immediately backpedaled. “No-not at all,” he countered hurriedly. “I’m just...it’s just Mitch. He’s the only one.”

Willy, the asshole, gave a self-satisfied smile. “So you’re…Mitch-sexual.”

Auston rolled his eyes and allowed Willy to look pleased with himself for an instant as he took a long dreg of his tea. 

Eventually, Nylander’s attention shifted back to Matts. 

“Mitchy was really worried, by the way. When you peaced out from the pool.”

The look Auston returned must have prompted Willy to go on. 

“He jumped out of the water like he was going to run after you, but I told him to stay and keep the game going.” Willy chided simply.

“Thanks for that.” Auston admitted sincerely. 

“Don’t mention it. I knew what was up.”

“And what do you suggest I do about it?” Matts groaned, allowing his head to fall into his hands. 

Willy shrugged. “That part’s kind of up to you. I’m just here to listen.”

“For the first time in history.” Auston chirped with a small smile. “Come on, Nylander. You must be _dying_ to dish out a solution to my problems.”

Willy shoved him gently in the shoulder. Matts could see he was smiling. 

“I won’t tell you what to do, but I do know what you’re thinking right now. I’ve been there.” He admitted carefully. 

Auston gave him an encouraging look, prompting him to continue.

Willy sighed and stared down at his drink, “You’re worried about the possible backlash if you tell him…but you’re even more worried about the prospect of having to keep up the whole _we’re just bros_ charade if you don’t.”

Willy’s spot-on analysis hit Auston like a ton of bricks, but he tried to keep his expression level as he responded. 

“So which option would you take? If the choice was yours.” He quipped pensively. 

“Personally,” Willy started, casting his eyes skyward, his face wistful, “if I had a shot at something I wanted as much as you want Marns, there’s no chance in hell I’d let it slip away. Consequences be damned.”

Auston’s expression tightened. 

Willy shrugged once more, “Think about it.”

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Auston was fucking exhausted. So, at the tail end of his conversation with Willy he retreated into bed, happy to take Willy up on his offer to cover for him so he could sort shit out in the morning. 

He lay in the darkness, his thoughts burdensome. 

A little later Matts heard the ruckus of his teammates returning from the pool. Mitch’s voice was strikingly easy to distinguish over the commotion, inquiring about him immediately. 

_“He wasn’t feeling well- probably dehydrated or something,”_ Willy covered believably, his voice muffled-sounding to Auston’s ears because of the walls. _“He’s sleeping it off.”_

The guys seemed to quiet down instantly, showing a degree of respect for Matts’ sleep that was usually difficult to come by. 

It wasn’t long before the door opened and Mitch walked in, stumbling around in the darkness instead of turning on a light (for his benefit, Auston realized with a constriction of his heart).

After a bit of shuffling, Matts felt Mitch slide under the covers and resisted the temptation to open his eyes.

Auston remained alert as Mitch settled. He listened to Marns’ breathing grow heavy and slow, until it blended with his own thoughts and he slipped into sleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Auston opened his eyes.

He glanced at the darkened skylight above and realized that it was very much still the middle of the night. 

Auston felt strangely warm. He realized why he had woken up when he cast his eyes downward, finding Mitch coiled tightly into his chest. 

_Well fucking shit_. He thought with an equal mixture of dread, amusement, and fondness.

Auston could hardly breathe for fear of disturbing Mitch. 

Mitch who had fucking _migrated_ over to his side of the bed and burrowed into him in a way that was seriously stirring up shit in his brain. And tonight of all nights. 

Marns’ ruffled, caramel hair was touching his chin, for fuck’s sake. Auston could feel him breathing. He had an overwhelming urge to put his arm across Mitch and draw him even closer. But he stifled it and remained still, silently in awe of the feeling of sheltering Mitch’s body with his own.

He was worried that his racing heart would wake Marns up. 

_This,_ Auston realized, was the _something_ that Willy was on about. The _something_ that he had a shot at. 

And it was hard to even entertain the concept of rejection when, at the moment, the one Matts had to ask was using him as a full-body pillow.

 _Fuck backlash_. Auston thought suddenly, nearly smiling to himself in the darkness. 

Tomorrow, he decided, he would tell Mitch. He would take his shot at whatever this was. The charade would be over. 

But for now, Auston allowed his head to fall back on to the pillow. He watched Marns’ sleeping figure until his eyelids grew heavy again. 

For now, they slept.

* * *

Auston was profoundly disappointed to wake up and find that Mitch was no longer pressed against his chest. 

He experienced a second stab of chagrin as he opened his eyes and observed that Mitch wasn’t even in the bed. 

Matts’ head felt heavy as he sat upright and emitted a sluggish yawn. He dragged himself to his feet and ambled into the kitchen, where he found Willy staring at a Sudoku puzzle, because William Nylander does fucking number puzzles now, apparently. 

“What time is it.” Auston grumbled irritably, raising a sleepy hand to his eyes. 

“Almost eleven.” Willy replied nonchalantly, his eyes remaining on his puzzle. 

“Shit,” Auston muttered sharply. “Why didn’t you wake me up?!”

“You needed the sleep, dude.”

Auston scowled and poured himself an enormous cup of coffee. 

“Where’s Mitch?” He pressed, glancing at Willy between sips. 

Nylander returned his gaze cautiously, as though worried Auston might explode. 

“He went to Magic Kingdom with Marty, Riems, Brownie and Freddy.”

Matts cursed again. “Is he mad at me?”

Willy cringed a little, muttering “I sort of got the impression that Mitchy thinks _you’re_ mad at _him_.”

“Why the hell would _I_ be mad at him??” Auston countered with a groan. 

“You did run away from him yesterday at the pool.” 

Matts shot Willy a sharp look before taking a long swallow of his coffee. With frustration, he noted that Nylander’s attention had gone back to his puzzle. 

“Since when do you do fucking Sudoku?” Auston chided pointedly. 

Willy’s expression remained even. “Hymie’s teaching me.” 

Auston glowered a little and plopped himself down on the stool to Willy’s right. He stewed for a couple minutes, watching his friend write and erase numbers rhythmically. 

As he finished his coffee, Matts felt a pang of guilt for his snappy tone with Willy. 

“Sorry I’m being such an asshole.” He murmured quietly, breaking the silence. 

The corners of Willy’s mouth hinted at a smile. “At least classify yourself properly and call yourself a _pining asshole_.”

Auston smiled a little. 

“I’m going to tell him today.” Matts admitted simply. “But it’s kind of fucking hard when he’s off with the other guys.” 

Willy opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by Zach stridently appearing in the kitchen. 

“Did I hear that right? Auston’s going to tell Mitch??” Hyman exclaimed, beaming uncharacteristically broadly at them. 

Willy shot him a barbed look, which caused Zach to quiet his smile and fold his hands primly, taking a deep breath. 

“What I _meant_ to say is, congratulations Auston, and thank you for having the courage to come out and-“

“You told him?” Matts interjected with a moan, fixing his eyes on Willy. 

Nylander looked evasive, not meeting Auston’s eyes. “He sort of snuck it out of me last night after you went to bed.” 

“Who else knows?”

“No one! Just Zach.” Willy promised him quickly. “And anyways, we have more important problems. Like how you’re going to tell Mitch you’re in love with him.”

Auston paused for a second, resting on his own thoughts. 

“A good start would be to get our asses across the lagoon to Magic Kingdom.” He declared firmly. 

“Seconded.” Willy agreed with a nod, immediately shifting his gaze over to Hyman. “Zachary, go put some pants on. We’ve got a monorail to catch.”

* * *

A few minutes later, Auston, Willy and Zach had boarded a train bound for Magic Kingdom. 

Auston’s heart was galloping in his chest again. He couldn’t tell if it was due to the coffee, the prospect of telling Mitch, or both. 

“So…” Zach started, glancing up at Willy and Auston from the map of the park he’d been scanning, “the plan right now is just get inside and locate Mitch?”

Willy glanced at Auston, who just kind of nodded. 

“I guess, yeah.” He admitted with a shrug. 

Zach raised an eyebrow at him. “No, like, huge plan for a romantic reveal or anything? You’re just going to walk up and tell him?”

Auston rolled his eyes. “I don’t fucking know, Hymie…”

“Zach has a point,” Willy observed, “this might be a shitty plan if all it consists of is locating one small hockey boy.”

“Look, I’ll figure something out.” Matts declared firmly. “I just… _need_ Mitch to know I’m not mad at him.”

“And that you love him.” Willy added. 

“That too.” Auston answered quietly. 

“Maybe don’t just spring it on him in the wide open, though.” Zach mused tentatively. “Because…you know. Rule number three.”

“Noted.” Auston assured him, recognizing the wisdom in Hymie’s words. 

Just then, the monorail slowed and the doors opened to reveal the Magic Kingdom platform. 

“Excellent.” Zach quipped, clapping his hands together. “Let’s go find ourselves a small hockey boy.”

* * *

“I’m assuming Marns hasn’t answered your text?” Willy inquired as the trio made their way down Magic Kingdom’s Main Street. 

Auston shook his head. “Knowing Mitch his phone’s probably dead because he never charges the fucking thing and drains his battery snapping everything that moves.”

“And yet there’s nothing on his story?” Willy mused bewilderedly, glancing at a cart selling Mickey-shaped cotton candy as they passed it by. “Weird.”

Auston pursed his lips and glanced at his phone screen, half-heartedly hoping the familiar notification heralding a snap from Mitch would appear. 

At his side, Hyman frowned at his own screen. “Nothing from Connor, Matt, JVR or Freddy either.” he added regretfully. “Apparently, they’re all not fucking checking their phones.”

“If I was Mitchy, where would I be?” Willy mused as they approached the Cinderella castle. 

Auston pondered that question for a moment, his eyes wandering to a trio of kids dressed like pirates. 

“Maybe he’s over at _Pirates of The Caribbean_?” Matts proposed doubtfully. “He does love those movies.”

“It’s better than nothing.” Willy conceded with a shrug, steering them towards Adventureland.

Auston was disappointed to find that there was no evidence of Mitch on _Pirates_. He, Nylander and Hyman traversed the entire queue and ride without so much of a glimpse of Marns or any other teammates. 

For good measure, they investigated _Jungle Cruise_ afterward, with similarly bleak results. Zach started to grumble that he was hungry, and Willy half-seriously proposed showing strangers a picture of Mitch (an idea that Auston rebuffed because they _“weren’t that fucking desperate…yet”_ ). 

Matts urged them onwards into Frontierland, though the lines for the pair of bigger rides there were lengthy, so they didn’t linger. 

They wandered through Liberty Square without a sighting, and Auston was nearly ready to concede and allow Hyman a lunch break until, by pure chance, they bumped into Martin and Brownie on the edge of Fantasyland. 

“Marty!!!” Willy hollered fanatically as he caught sight of their teammates walking in the opposite direction. He waved his arms at them, his joyous expression almost as relieved-looking as Auston felt. 

“I see you three finally made it out of the bungalow,” Connor chirped with a smile as he and Martin strode over. 

Auston ignored the jive, uttering a brisk “Where’s Mitch?” and praying he didn’t sound overly frantic.

Martin raised an eyebrow at him, clearly sensing Matts’ disquietude. “He, Freddy and JVR went over to _Space Mountain_.” He offered levelly. “We got three Fastpasses from some stranger- Brownie and I tried to wait up, but we must have missed them coming out of the exit or something, because we couldn’t find them. So we wandered over here.”

“So…you’re saying you violated your own rule and lost Mitch.” Hyman observed unhelpfully with an impish smile.

Marty opened his mouth to reply, but immediately paused, thinking. After a time, he swore. 

“How long ago was that?” Auston pressed earnestly, ignoring Martin’s flabbergasted expression.

“Maybe an hour.” Brownie contributed with a shrug. 

Matts exhaled sharply. “Crap.” 

Martin readjusted and looked at him quizzically once more. “Why are you so desperate to find Mitchy?”

“I just need him.” Auston answered tersely. 

Marty observed him thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. “Well, Freddy said something about wanting to hit the Stitch ride after, so if you move your asses they could still be over there.”

“Right. Thanks.” Auston mused swiftly, already turning to march in the direction of Tomorrowland. 

Hyman and Nylander gave Martin a pair of conciliatory shrugs and followed Matthews.

* * *

There was an unusually large crowd outside _Space Mountain_ , Auston observed, as he, Willy, and Zach strode into Tomorrowland. 

It was a weird, fidgety, muttering crowd. 

Matts soon understood the throng’s disquiet as he noticed that _“CLOSED”_ was flashing on the screen above the entrance to the ride’s queue. 

Hyman, ever the responsible one, wasted no time shuffling up beside a nearby onlooker and inquiring politely about the nature of the closure. 

_“Been about twenty minutes.”_ Auston heard the man mutter over the buzz of the crowd. 

_“Heard there’s some riders stuck on board.”_

Matts perked up at those words, his eyes darting to the forbidding white mass that was _Space Mountain_. He wondered what the odds were that Mitch was stuck inside. 

Normally, Auston might have said _not very good_ , but they _were_ the Maple Leafs. This kind of shit seemed to happen to he and his teammates all too frequently. It was just too damn Leaf-like, getting stuck on a Disney ride. 

Suddenly, much like the night he had jumped in the lagoon, Auston found he didn’t have much of a propensity for rules. 

Suddenly, finding a way to infiltrate _Space Mountain_ seemed like a good course of action. 

_Because_ , Auston’s totally gone-for-Marns half of his brain reasoned, _Mitch might be inside_.

* * *

“You’re fucking insane.” Hyman declared in a hissed whisper, upon hearing Auston’s plan to break into _Space Mountain_. “That is a Public Relations _nightmare waiting to happen_. Willy- back me up on this.”

Willy broke into a devious grin. “I dunno, Zach. It seems kinda like a grand romantic gesture to me. Didn’t you suggest something like that on the monorail?” he countered fiendishly.

Zach blinked at him, exasperated. “This is _not_ what I fucking meant, Willy. We don’t want Matts to get arrested. And we don’t even know that Mitch is in there.”

“It’s almost guaranteed that he is- that’s how Leafs luck works. You know this, Hymie.” Willy returned with a smug smile. 

“And what’s wrong with just…waiting and seeing if he comes out?” Zach moaned.

Auston ignored his protests. “I’m going in.” he insisted firmly. “And you can help me get in undetected or you can run off and keep your hands clean in case it all goes to shit.” He added, eyeing Zach testily. 

Willy fixed his eyes on Zach as well. “If Mitch is in there, it’ll be the perfect setting for Matts to tell him without attention.” He observed earnestly. 

Zach sighed dramatically. “This plan is still fucking insane…” he groaned unhappily. “…but for the sake of PR I’m going to be the mature one here and make sure you idiots avoid total disaster during execution.”

“So…” Willy mused, perplexed, “you’ll help?”

“Yes, Willy, I’ll help you and Auston break into _Space Mountain_.”

At his side, Matts smiled.

* * *

It was Auston who noticed the door that would be their entrance point, but it was Willy who figured out how they could get inside. 

The door wasn’t guarded or anything, but it was an unornamented staff entrance on the side of _Space Mountain_ with a _“Cast Members Only”_ sign dangling from its handle, so walking right in seemed like a poor choice. 

For better or for worse, the door was currently experiencing heavy traffic; the ride shutdown crisis apparently necessitated a lot of shifting among the employees. 

All they needed, Auston figured, was an alibi for when they inevitably met up with the Disney cast members inside. 

Willy’s solution took the form of a mound of brown fabric. 

As if by magic, just as the trio were mutedly discussing the door an enormous Disney cart with many compartments rumbled by, pushed onwards by a flustered-looking employee who was struggling to find a path through the crowd. 

Someone in the melee must have nudged the cart, for it began to sway precariously. The staff member was so preoccupied with steadying his cart that he failed to notice that one of the compartments had fallen from its slot, spilling its contents onto the ground. 

William Nylander, however, _did_ notice, and leapt forward to snatch up the pile of fabric. He opened his mouth to call out to the employee, who was already rumbling away, but shut it immediately once he realized what he was holding. 

Willy made his way back to Auston and Zach’s side, clutching his prize and casting anxious glances all around. 

Matts and Hyman shot him identical questioning looks. 

“Did you just steal-“ Zach started, his eyes boring into the item clutched to Willy’s chest. 

“-I’m just going to borrow it.” Willy cut him off in reply, his voice a hissed whisper. 

“What is it?” Auston prodded doubtfully. 

“The solution to our problem. A gift from the Disney gods.”

“Spit it out.” Hyman muttered, crossing his arms. 

Willy grinned deviously. “It’s a Kristoff costume.”

“Like…that blond guy from _Frozen_?” Auston quipped, raising an eyebrow. He stared bewilderedly at the brown fabric in Willy’s arms for a moment until his expression broke into one of understanding. 

“Oh,” he muttered simply. “Dress-up.”

 _“Excuse me?”_ Zach admonished. 

Willy burst into a triumphant smile. “Destiny has delivered us the one Disney character I can fucking _sell_. And you two can be my bodyguards.” 

Auston beamed at him. “Nylander’s gonna be a frickin’ Disney prince.”

Hyman finally appeared to connect the pieces, his expression thoughtful. “Huh.” He mused, pensive. “If we can come up with a reason for fucking _Rudolph_ \- or whatever the hell he’s called- to be in _Space Mountain_ , this might actually work.”

Willy shrugged, waving a hand dismissively. “We’ll bullshit something. Chat about it while I go change.” He suggested before whisking off in the direction of the nearest restroom. 

Hyman and Matts were unable to come up with shit in the two minutes it took Willy to reappear, so they were indeed going to be relying on Willy’s bullshitting abilities to get inside. 

Thankfully, Willy made a very convincing Kristoff. To the point where the trio found themselves having to avoid the advances of little girls squealing for pictures. 

Willy muttered angry Swedish at anyone who approached, and doggedly made a beeline for the _Space Mountain_ door, trailed closely by Zach and Auston. 

“Put on your sunglasses and cross your arms.” Willy muttered as they approached the door. “Look more like bouncers and less like fucking tourists.”

Auston caught himself smirking and tried to make his face serious. 

They got lucky on the approach, as a hurried cast member emerged, opening the door enough for them to slip inside. The woman was locked in an intense phone conversation, and hardly looked up as they passed, to Auston’s immense relief. 

As soon as they were inside, Zach turned to Auston with wide eyes. “I can’t believe that worked.”

Ahead of them, Willy did a ridiculous little celebratory dance. 

The three Leafs proceeded tentatively down the hallway and into the core of Space Mountain. Auston’s heart pounded louder with every step, both out of fear of being discovered and in anticipation of locating Mitch. 

Just as they reached the end of the hallway, a man emerged from a doorway on Auston’s right. He, Zach and Willy froze as the guy eyed them curiously. 

_“Kristoff?”_ The man muttered, staring at Willy. “Shouldn’t you be over in Fantasyland or something?”

Willy gulped, but his voice was steady. “There’s supposed to be a retirement party for Leonard around here somewhere…hope we didn’t miss the cake.”

The man looked bewildered, but soon waved his hands dismissively. “I don’t know anything about that. Hope you find it.” He grumbled irritably, already marching off down the hallway. 

Auston watched him go, his pulse loud in his ears. 

_“Leonard?”_ Hyman whispered sharply as soon as the man was out of earshot. 

Willy shrugged. “It was _improv_. Cut me a break.”

“Shut up, guys. It worked.” Auston muttered quietly, pointing at a door immediately ahead of them. “I think that’s it.”

The trio stepped forward to get a closer look at Auston’s door. There was a collection of signs warning _“entering ride zone”_ and _“low lighting”_ plastered on its centre. 

“Seems legit.” Hyman breathed.

Auston tried the door, expecting it to be locked, but his heart soared as the handle turned easily. Unlocked for the guys fixing the breakdown, he supposed. 

Taking a deep breath, Matts pulled the door open. There was low light (instead of the attraction’s usual total darkness) on the other side. 

“Stay here and keep watch.” Auston instructed Zach and Willy. “Yell _Babcock_ if something happens.” He added, slightly breathless. 

“No way we’re staying behind-“ Willy protested immediately, making to follow Matts, but Hyman grabbed his arm. 

“Auston will be less obvious if he’s alone.” Zach reasoned, to which Matts nodded gratefully.   
Willy crossed his arms. “Fine.” He mumbled unhappily, adding “but you’d better fucking give me _all_ the details later.”

“Promise.” Auston assured him. “And guys,” he started, glancing at the coaster’s tracks in the shadows ahead. 

“Thanks.” 

Willy shrugged. “What are teammates for?”

* * *

As soon as the door had shut behind him, Auston glanced properly up into the gloom. _Space Mountain_ looked fucking _weird_ with lights on, even if they were just low emergency ones. 

The rollercoaster’s tracks twisted and rolled in every direction. Matts could hear the chattering of perhaps a dozen stuck passengers, sitting stationary in their cars in various locations. 

One of them, Auston reasoned, had to be Mitch. He tried to scan the stopped vehicles from the ground, but after a couple minutes thought _Fuck it_ and called out a tentative “Mitch?”.

His voice hung in the air for a second, echoing oddly inside the giant dome that was _Space Mountain._

_“Aus?”_ Marns’ familiar voice echoed eventually in response from somewhere high up. “Am I imagining your voice right now?” 

Before Auston could reply, another familiar intonation pierced the air. “No, Mitch. I hear him too.” 

It was Freddy, his chill response distinctive to Auston’s ears. 

“How the _hell_ did you get in here?” Mitch called amazedly, apparently oblivious to the fact that there could be little kids in the other cars. 

“Don’t worry about it right now.” Auston countered swiftly, his voice just loud enough to reach Mitch’s ears. “Where are you guys?”

“Right up at the top. Stuck right beside a platform, just to taunt us.” He heard Mitch grumble irritably. 

“I’m coming up.” Auston decided immediately, before he could change his mind. 

He made his way to the base of a tall ascending spiral staircase. Miraculously, Auston realized, he had yet to be confronted by a Disney staff member. 

Matts didn’t want to push his luck on the matter, so he climbed the stairs hastily, glancing backwards every dozen steps. He hoped he had the right platform. There hadn’t appeared to be any other ones nearby. 

Auston emerged breathlessly at the top of the platform, which ran parallel to the tracks for several metres, and felt his chest constrict happily as he laid eyes on JVR, Freddy, and Mitch strapped into a halted rollercoaster car. 

Marns was staring at him with wide eyes, his expression incredulous. “Did you really fucking sneak your way inside _Space Mountain_?” 

“With Willy and Hymie’s help, yeah.” Auston muttered, blushing. 

Mitch smiled. “That’s idiotic but also kind of frickin’ awesome.”

Behind him, Riems and Freddy had their gazes fixed on Auston as if they couldn’t believe he was actually there. 

“Why’d you do it?” Mitch blurted out, his expression unreadable in the shadows. 

Auston shuffled a little, his gaze on his feet. “Because I need to talk to you.”

“Oh,” Mitch intonated unassumingly. 

A tense silence took root for a moment, until JVR shattered it.

“Wanna do us a favour first,” he piped up from the back seat of the three-man car, “and hit that orange button behind you that says _Emergency Restraint Release_? This bar is cutting off the freaking circulation in my legs.”

“Right…sure.” Auston mumbled incoherently, his heartbeat ringing loudly in his ears as he squashed the button.

There was a brief hiss of pneumatics, and then the lap restraints in the vehicle rose, to great exclamations of relief from all the trapped passengers. 

Somewhere in the distance below, Auston heard the confused clamor of the Disney employees trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. 

“Bless.” Freddy chided as he stepped out of the car. 

Behind him, Riemsy added a salty “That was one of the longer thirty minutes of my life…”

Mitch was slower to step up onto the platform, and he seemed sort of dazed as he stood up, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on Auston. 

Matts glanced at Freddy and James uncertainly. “You guys can, uh, head down if you like. We’ll follow.” 

“Take your time.” Freddy murmured slowly, eyeing Mitch and Auston with a shrug. 

He and JVR proceeded down the spiral staircase, leaving Matts alone with Marns on the platform. 

Auston waited until their footsteps had died down to speak. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but was immediately cut off by Mitch.

“-Is this about why you ran away from me last night?” Marns reeled rapidly, his expression mildly panicked. 

Auston forced himself to meet Mitch’s frightened blue eyes. “Yeah, I guess it is.” 

“I’m so sorry for whatever the hell I did-“ Marns started, rambling along adorably in the way he always did when he felt guilty. 

“-no, no, Mitch!” Auston interjected earnestly. “Shit- you didn’t do a thing. You’re perfect.”

Mitch’s expression froze for a heartbeat, then morphed into one of delight, edging on mockery. “Really? Perfect?” 

“Well, maybe not _perfect_ ,” Auston countered quickly, immediately regretting his wording, “but the point is…last night was on me.”

Mitch smirked for a second before considering Matts attentively, clearly waiting for an explanation. 

Auston swallowed. “There’s this thing. I’ve…I’ve been meaning to tell you. I don’t want- I mean…shit.” He stuttered nervously. Mitch looked almost concerned now, likely owing to the degree of Auston’s anxiety. 

Matts realized with a jolt how close they were standing. Barely a foot of air between their bodies. Again. 

And this time the air felt electric. It was making his heart thunder and his hair stand on end. 

He regarded Mitch with wide, terrified eyes. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. After a couple long heartbeats of reticence, he steeled his resolve.

Just as Marns was slowly opening his mouth to reply, Auston shrugged and muttered “Fuck it.” 

And he leaned forward and shut down whatever Mitch had been about to say by pressing their lips together. 

Auston’s senses exploded as they registered what he was doing. It was like his lips were on fire. Like every neuron in his body had short-circuited. Like all the cliché fireworks shit, but even better. 

He felt Mitch recoil initially (perhaps in shock) as their lips met, but he didn’t pull away. 

It was a messy fucking kiss, but it lasted a good half a dozen heartbeats. And it was satisfying as hell. Whatever happened in the next few seconds, Auston reasoned, he’d still have the kiss. 

When Mitch did pull away, Matts was terrified at what kind of expression he’d observe on his face. He was immensely relieved to find Marns blank-faced, open-mouthed and wide-eyed. 

“I’m kind of in love with you.” Auston admitted for good measure, the words sounding stupid to his own ears, but internally reasoning _hell, I’m in this deep already._

Mitch waited an agonizingly long time to respond, his chest heaving with rapid breaths. “Aus,” he murmured breathlessly, his blue eyes boring powerfully into Auston’s brown ones.

“Aus…what?” Matts urged, dying to know what was running through Mitch’s brain. 

Mitch exhaled sharply. “I’ve been wanting to do that…to kiss you…for like…months. But I was always too fucking scared,” He admitted softly. “and you just broke into _Space Mountain_ for me and went for it.” He trailed off, regarding Auston with a hint of a smile. “It’s kind of brave and really fucking hot.”

Auston barely registered Marns’ words. All he could recognize was a warm flood of ecstasy flooding across his being as he stared at Mitch. 

And It was Mitch who leaned forward this time, gently pulling Auston’s face toward him for a second, more measured kiss. 

“And I think I’m kind of in love with you too.” Marns added, muttering against Matts’ lips. 

The pair of them were smiling like idiots.   
When eventually Auston pulled away, he was gazing at Mitch with evident awe. 

“What?” Marns prodded with a small grin. 

“How the hell did you live with this for months? I only sorted out that what I wanted was to kiss you like two days ago…and it's been kind of unbearable the whole time.”

Mitch shrugged, “It was always sort of an abstract idea, getting to kiss you. I never thought it would actually happen.”

“Well now that it has,” Auston mused with a small smile, “where do we go from here?”

“Are we…you know… _a thing?_ ”

“I dunno, are we?” Matts pressed gently, trying to keep his face neutral. 

“I mean, it was kind of a fucking awesome kiss.” Mitch declared simply, “So I’m kind of inclined to say yeah.”

“Sounds good to me.” Auston agreed, reining in his enthusiasm with a minute smile as he took Mitch’s hand, mostly just to try it out. 

Their fingers interlocked nicely, Matts’ slightly larger ones enveloping Mitch’s just enough to be comfortable. 

“We might be the first NHL teammates to…you know, do something like this.” Mitch observed suddenly, his tone notably astonished. 

“I can guarantee we aren’t the first,” Auston replied tentatively, “but we could end up being the first to do it out in the open- you know, if you want to.” 

Mitch regarded him with surprise, blinking. “You want to come out to the league? And to our teammates” 

“Not yet, but maybe eventually. If you’re down.”

“If you’re down I’m down.” Mitch answered eagerly, causing Auston to smile. 

A heartbeat later, Matts had his attention snagged away from Mitch by the sight of a pair of flashlight beams heading towards the base of their staircase. 

“Shit,” he muttered. “We’d better get out of here or we might be about to get arrested.”

Mitch, the asshole, laughed a little as they dashed down the stairs. 

Auston heard him muttering a fake conversation explaining the situation to his mom. 

_“Yeah, hi mum. No, everything’s good, except that Auston and I got arrested for kissing inside Space Mountain.”_ Mitch chided with fake sincerity as they reached ground level. 

Matts caught himself laughing as they darted across the floor towards the exit door. 

They reached the exit in the nick of time, sealing the door behind them just as the Disney staff reached the tower, gesturing up at the empty coaster vehicle bewilderedly. 

Once they were in the relative safety of the hallway, Mitch and Auston stopped to catch their breath. With a shock, Matts realized that Willy, Zach, Freddy and Riems were nowhere to be seen. 

He tried to stifle his worry as he and Marns walked purposefully towards the true exit. He tried to disregard the nagging possibility that he’d gotten his friends into serious, career-ending trouble. 

It was with an enormous wave of relief that Auston emerged back into the sunlight and immediately caught sight of their teammates sitting at a picnic table eating ice cream outside the nearest restaurant. The fuckers. 

Matts emitted what must have been a loud sigh of alleviated worry, since Mitch responded with a discrete but comforting touch of his hand to the inside of Auston’s wrist. 

They strode casually away from _Space Mountain_ and walked up to their fellow Leafs. Auston prayed that he and Mitch’s new…relationship status wasn’t visible on their faces.

Mercifully, none of the guys seemed to notice. Or at least they had the good sense to keep it hidden. 

Willy (who was still wearing the fucking Kristoff costume) clapped Auston on the back proudly. “Congratulations, Matts. We’re officially the freaking Ocean’s Eleven of Disney World rides.” He declared happily. 

On his left, Hyman looked slightly shell-shocked. “I think that whole experience took seven years off my life.” He mused hollowly, adding “never again- do you hear me?”

Auston could feel Mitch smiling at him as the guys peppered him with questions. 

Matts shut down their curiosities about he and Marns’ lengthy conversation with a dry murmur of _“we sorted shit out.”_ And thankfully, none of them pressed the matter. 

The associated Leafs all swore a vow of secrecy about the incident, which Matts agreed to unquestioningly, only half-listening. 

His mind was on the way Marns was looking at him, (it was making his stomach do excited flips) and the still-fresh impression of Mitch’s lips on his own.

* * *

If Auston’s previous couple of days in the parks had been akin the playoffs and that morning game seven of the final, then that afternoon was the Stanley Cup victory celebration. 

Magic Kingdom seemed a different place now from the one Matts had left behind as he’d infiltrated _Space Mountain_. It was brighter. And friendlier. And more exciting. 

He was at the precipice of something amazing with Mitch, and he felt certain the glow of their shared epiphany inside _Space Mountain_ must have been obvious as they traversed the park. 

Yet surprisingly, Willy’s observations about oblivious straight guys seemed to hold true. 

So Auston and Mitch indulged in one final Disney afternoon, this time with no confusion and all the optimism in the world. 

Mitch hollered and clutched Auston unashamedly tightly as they roared down the drop on _Splash Mountain_. Auston smiled much wider than usual as they laughed their asses off for no explainable reason on _The Haunted Mansion_. Matts even let Mitch talk him into riding the freaking Dumbo ride. 

Auston was almost ready to admit that there really was some kind of magic shit going on with Disney; how else could everything have come together so damn well? 

They’d somehow evaded consequence after sneaking into a ride and probably breaking a thousand laws in the process. Auston had found the courage to tell his best friend he was in love with him. 

And Mitch had kissed him back.

It was all kind of next-level. It was a brief moment of bliss in their ridiculous, hockey-playing lives. It was full of eager anticipation for what was to come, new adversities be damned. 

And it was nice. It was really, really nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Extras**
> 
> _(Or, a lazy girl’s epilogue)_
> 
> ~ Willy demanded the full details of the events that had transpired inside Space Mountain that very night, over grassy tea, as he and Auston sat with Mitch in the deck tub. 
> 
> ~ That night, Auston confessed to Mitch that they’d accidentally cuddled the night before. Mitch shrugged and muttered “It wasn’t an accident. I did it on purpose.” It turned out he’d been secretly cuddling with Auston at night for several months, whenever they’d shared a room, even though they’d always slept in separate beds. Auston had just never noticed. He was a heavy sleeper on the road, apparently, when he wasn't agonizing over plays inside his head.
> 
> ~ In addition to better cuddling, Auston also had a much better experience with the "awesome shower in the bungalow" that night. Mitch was involved. It was a lot less solitary than before. And despite the fact that Mitch hogged the water, Auston had an excellent time in more ways than one. ;)
> 
> ~ The various incriminating ride photos that were accumulated over the course of the Disney trip were kept under lock and key in the ACC dressing room, to be used as bargaining chips only under extreme circumstances. Like whenever Mitch refused to turn off his country music playlist. 
> 
> ~ Auston's blurry bus photo with Mitch and the Disney arch remained on his lock screen for an unreasonably long time.
> 
> ~ The nice photo of Auston looking happy at the entrance to Hollywood Studios could claim the same, but on Mitch's phone. 
> 
> ~ Willy kept the Kristoff costume. It made an appearance several times during the remainder of the Leafs’ season, usually whenever Willy lost a bet. 
> 
> ~ Willy also kept the fucking Animal Kingdom monkey. Sometimes, if he was feeling like an asshole, he would creep down to ice level at the ACC when the visiting team was out for morning skate and scare the players shitless with the monkey’s screaming. 
> 
> ~ Marty's “no losing Mitch” rule became a regular feature on team outings. It was also regularly violated.
> 
> ~ Mitch, enamoured as he was with Auston’s whole scheme to infiltrate Space Mountain for him, would orchestrate an elaborate plan to re-enact their first kiss on the platform for their one year anniversary. This included bribing a ride operator to stop their car at the exact spot and hiring Willy to document the whole thing on snapchat.
> 
> ~ Within a couple of weeks of returning to Toronto, Auston and Mitch came out to their families. Within that season, they became the first out players in the league. Within the year, they became Toronto’s definitive _it_ couple, to Mitch’s great delight and Auston’s immense disgust. 
> 
> ~ Following this visit, Mitch would develop a lifelong infatuation with Disney World. And he never set foot in the place without Auston.


End file.
